The Swarm Patriarch
by Winter Feline
Summary: Young man dies on earth, only to awaken in the body of a young man on a hostile world called Prime. Facing a new world of cruelty, he finds himself armed with the only thing vicious enough to promise him a chance to protect himself and his newly gained family. The Zerg Swarm. This tale was inspired by East Bridge's tale The Zerg Swarm, but will take on its own course.
1. Chapter 1: Soul Symbiosis

Author's Note: I do not own Starcraft or any of the units portrayed within it. Starcraft is the property of Blizzard Entertainment, I only own my original creations. This is a work of fan fiction, existing entirely outside any canon material. This tale was inspired by reading "_The Zerg Swarm_" tale by _East Bridge._

**Chapter 1 – Soul Symbiosis**

Daniel awoke with a scream. His body trembled and his chest ached, the bandages around him feeling too tight. His thoughts were a blur too. He could hear someone calling out a name, but it took him a couple of seconds to realize something. It was his name that was being repeated.

"Dain, please tell me you are alright!"

The young woman at his side was both familiar to him and a complete stranger. She was his sister, but he could remember being an only child. The dim light that a simple candle was bringing into the cavern revealed the soot covered lightly tanned cheeks of Vera, and Daniel inhaled deeply once to try and calm his mind.

"I'm alright. It hurts somewhat but I think I'll be okay."

What exactly had happened though? He had two sets of memories in his mind. One of them was of a twenty-four year old young man crossing a street and being hit by a car. He had been killed almost instantly. Another was of a young man called Dain in this savage world its people called _Prime_.

This Dain had been living in a little village when raiders attacked, slaughtering most men and taking women prisoner. Dain himself had been stabbed in the chest, and left for dead. By all accounts, he should be dead by now, but instead he could feel his heart beating in his chest. What's more, he could feel something else too.

It was like a whisper coming from far away, an echo of something. "_Remember your promise. Protect your family."_

There had been something both Dain and Daniel had wished for in those dying moments. More time with their family, protecting their family. They were linked, somehow, and Daniel knew that. Dain and Daniel had been so very much like one another, black haired young men still growing up to their responsibilities, although Dain was a couple of years younger physically.

"Is mom okay?"

His question raised a sad frown on Vera's face, making Dain sigh silently. If mother was captured, the chances were they'd never see her again. He recalled a brief moment from Dain's past, of their mother shouting for her to hide while Dain and Hana tried to repel the raiders.

"Sorry."

"Don't be, at least you are alive. I thought you were dead for sure when I came out from the wreckage, but you were still bleeding. I tried to tie it up but I didn't have any of the healing paste and I didn't know what to do but we couldn't stay in those smoldering ruins beasts were coming so I took us to this cave."

Smiling quietly Dain recalled again a brief moment of how he and Vera had discovered the little cavern and made it their secret. There weren't that many children in the village so the siblings had been forced to play together or play alone for most part.

"I'm fine, a little wound like that wont kill me."

His reassuring words felt hollow though. He had died, and almost left her alone. Something had pulled the souls of the two dying men together however, and returned them to this body, healing it just enough to survive, and start recovering.

"_Remember your promise. You have been given the power to change things. Remember it, and wield it well."_

The words that came as a whisper made Dain tremble a bit. He was starting to think of that name as his own more than he considered the name Daniel. Daniel was dead, but lived on in Dain. The two sets of memories were confusing, but he could feel them both as real. He would have to take it easy or he might go insane with the confusion.

There was a more pressing matter of those whispers that Vera did not appear to hear though. He wasn't sure if they were part of the confusion he was experiencing from the nearly fatal encounter earlier, or if there was something out there, but he decided to gather his thoughts and focused on a single question.

"_What power?"_

As soon as he thought of the question a wave of heat pulsed through his body. His body felt like it was burning, the wound in his chest aching so he slumped on his back grasping over it. He could hear Vera shouting and felt her grasp on his hand. His mind was dizzy, the pain was excruciating, but yet he could feel it lightening.

His chest was closing up around the wound. The stab that had bandaged earlier was healing rapidly now, the wound caused seeming to be recovering within minutes when it should have taken days, or even weeks, perhaps never fully healing. He didn't need to remove the straps by the time the pain faded away, he knew there was nothing there anymore.

In his mind's eye, he could see something, like a page off a book with writing along it.

_Swarm Evolutionary Stage: Zero_

_Patriarch Bio-Energy: 90/100_

_Patriarch Bio-Genesis: 10/cycle_

_Swarm Bio-Energy: Negligible_

_Swarm Bio-Genesis: Nil_

_Requirement for Evolution_

_+Hatchery_

The information was confusing to him, but at the same time he felt that his body had already been fully charged on waking up, and the rapid regeneration had consumed a portion of it that was now missing. It was the same amount as he would recover in a single cycle, which he instinctively knew referred to the passing of a single day within this world, somehow.

"Brother, stay awake, don't fall asleep again!"

Vera's pleading reached his ears again and a bit ashamed of having scared her like that Dain reached up to wrap his arms around her, petting her raven dark hair tenderly while embracing her. She was all the family he had left right now, and he needed to protect her. There was nothing that could bring their mother back right now.

Daniel's mind was putting things together though. In his own world, on earth, Daniel had been a fan of Starcraft, and though the term patriarch was not from the game, the words swarm and hatchery sounded familiar, and he had a feeling there was a chance then.

"_What are the requirements for a Hatchery?"_

His thought words conjured up another mental page in his mind, showing a fleshy structure rising from the ground spreading a purple-shaded gel around its base, and a list of information besides it.

_Hatchery_

_Primary complex_

_Larva generation: 25 per cycle_

_Cost: 100 Bio-Energy_

_Spawns: Drone, Zergling, Overlord_

That was all that Dain needed to know for now. He had expected the drone and overlord to become available after creation of a hatchery, but having access to zerglings as well would help. Of course, it might still take a long time to build up any sizable force if he was the solitary source of bio-energy. He had to figure out how to create more of it, but as far as he knew, there were no crystals or easily accessible fountains of natural gas in this world.

"Lets rest for now, and we'll see about things tomorrow morning sis." Gently kissing Vera's head and hugging her closer, Dain wrapped his arms around her. Promising to protect her. He would take care of his family.

OOOOO

Alright, this is my first story here and obviously I'm not someone that is a very experienced, talented writer but I hope to provide people with an entertaining tale and enjoy writing it. I will appreciate any feedback and comments, they may be a good encouragement to keep writing if people like this, but if they don't I understand and will accept that. I am writing this primarily because I want to write and practice, but also because I enjoyed reading the original story already mentioned in the author's notes at the beginning.

I'm going to start working on the second chapter right away. First chapters tend to be the worst for me in general, its easier when things have started moving, but hopefully things will go well.


	2. Chapter 2: The First Hatchery

Author's Note: I do not own Starcraft or any of the units portrayed within it. Starcraft is the property of Blizzard Entertainment, I only own my original creations. This is a work of fan fiction, existing entirely outside any canon material. This tale was inspired by reading "_The Zerg Swarm_" tale by _East Bridge._

**Chapter 2 – The First Hatchery**

The night passed uneventfully, although Dain could feel the way his sister clung to him desperately. It was tugging at his heart that he was not sure how he felt about the fact that he suddenly had a sister. Dain's memories included her, while Daniel had experienced life as an only child. At one side he was glad for the company and on another, he worried about how things would turn out for her.

Prime was a harsh place for the people living on it. Perhaps one in a thousand humans developed an ability to wield magic, either as an adept or a mystic. The adepts outnumbered mystics ten to one, making the real amount of mystics somewhere around one in ten thousand humans. Yet it was these mystics and adepts that were perhaps the only true hope humanity had on this world to defend itself.

The beasts that roamed the land ranged from minor nuisance to legendary horrors similar to Kraken and Leviathan had become in the myths on Earth. Even with the Swarm on his side, Dain felt fairly certain the stronger beasts would still be a problem to him at some point. Most humans that had powers were quickly drafted to defend towns and cities, fighting against the lesser and occasional greater beast that threatened the survival of those places.

He and his sister had grown up in a small village however, their father a hunter and a minor talent with adept's abilities, their mother his childhood sweetheart. Dain and Vera had lived a protected life back then, but a greater beast had robbed them of their father many years ago. Their mother had stayed strong and raised the two of them, the villagers probably hoping that one or the other would gain a talent when they had passed the coming of age. Yet neither of them had shown any signs of it yet.

Dain silently sat up and gently lifted Vera's arm off of him. Looking at the cavern entrance he could see the stink-weed piled up outside. It would mask their scent for a while, but it also made it very uncomfortable to approach the entrance. The plant's leaves more than lived up to their name, having a stench that made Dain nauseous for a moment as he passed them, but he knew there was something that needed to be done. He had rested long enough, and could tell he was full of bio-energy once again.

Walking for a while before he paused at a small forest clearing, Dain pressed his both hands against the ground, silently wondering how he was supposed to do this. He was no drone, but he had a feeling he needed to do something to start the development of a hatchery. He had no larva either, but he hoped that he was able to do this by himself somehow. Focusing his mind, he pictured the image of a Zerg hatchery on the clearing, rising from the ground and starting to spread a blanket of creep around it.

There was a surge of energy like lightning passing through him, rushing through his palms against the soil. It was like a red, crystalline gem had formed where his hands had touched a moment ago. With a pulse of light within it, the crystal's surface cracked and some form of dark purple gel began to spread along the ground, barely an inch or so thick for now. The spot where the crystal had been set was swelling, the gel seeming to raise a small platform beneath the crystal before a growing cocoon of some sort began to arise, swiftly growing in height exceeding Dain's own height and then towering towards the sky. The cocoon began to widen, a pulse of light seeming to go through it a few times, as Dain felt a mild headache emerging.

The hatchery was growing at a rate that far surpassed Dain's expectations. While he had expected the Zerg to be fast to grow, he still expected the hatchery to take days, or perhaps weeks to complete. Fast or not, it was a huge fleshy structure and he had not expected it to start growing at such a rate, and with nothing but the energy passing through him for that matter.

Looking at the complex, he could estimate it would be ready within a few hours, but the blanket of creep had already extended to the edges of the clearing, pausing there. Unlike his expectations it had began to grow the moment the structure had began growing. Perhaps he was thinking too much along the logic of a game rather than the logic of an alien race capable of evolving and assimilating so many traits to itself.

"Dain!"

The shout made him turn and realize that his sister must have woken up with him gone. Looking back a bit guiltily he paused on realizing his sister was staring at the hatchery's cocoon with a mixture of revulsion and fear.

"What are you doing, come back here right away, that thing looks dangerous!"

She was panicking, but Dain could not really blame her. Greater beasts grew to immense size according to the stories both of them had heard while growing up, and looking at the pulsing fleshy structure he couldn't help but admit that it did look rather monstrous and dangerous, even at this stage.

"It is alright, I'm sorry I left while you were resting, I thought I'd get back by the time you woke up and could show you this when it was ready."

The confused look on her face changed to disbelief, and she shook her head raising a hand to her forehead. Dain could tell she wasn't sure what to believe in at that moment. He figured it did sound a little ridiculous from someone that had never shown any such talents before.

"Vera, please trust me. I know this may seem strange right now, but what I am doing can help us a lot later."

The rumbling noise from her stomach interrupted him though. It reminded him she hadn't eaten anything in a while. He didn't feel hungry himself, but the attack yesterday had come near morning, and it had been a late evening when they woke up. That meant she had been without food for a while already. The awkward look on her face after the noise made him feel a little guiltier still.

"_I need something she can eat. Wait, Zerg survive on creep alone. Perhaps it might help her too."_

The thought was a bit uncertain, but kneeling down Dain reached to the edge of the circle of creep, pulling off a small chunk and rising it up near his face. Inhaling its scent and looking at it. The creep resembled a thick gel of some sort in its consistency, though when he walked upon it the gel held firm beneath his foot rather than being pushed aside.

Taking a bite he felt the creep's taste was surprisingly sweet. In a strange way, it made sense. It was the base of the Zerg structures and the network connecting them. It was supposed to carry nutrients and aid the Zerg. Sugar was a quick energy source, so there was at least some logic to it. At the same time he wondered if it was healthy for anyone else but a Zerg, if a pure human could ingest it safely.

"_That says something about me too, if a human has problems with this but I don't."_

Shaking his head faintly at the time, Dain decided to forget about all that for now. There was little options, and he was reasonably certain it was safe. Sure enough that he had tasted it first just in case.

"Come here Vera, you can eat this. It may look a little odd but its good."

Flashing her a smile and hoping she'd trust in him, he waited a moment. Vera drew a deep breath, seeming to make up her mind and marched over to stand before Dain. Taking up the handful of creep she took a careful bite out of it. The way her expression went from suspicious to delighted almost had Dain chuckle as well.

"Don't rush, its not going to run out. Eat up and rest, I'll keep us safe."

Trying to reassure Vera at the time Dain wondered if he would be able to find their mother anymore. Someone taken away by slavers would be in for a rough treatment and a forced march to one of the towns that approved of slavery. Not all towns did, but enough did that the slavers did have buyers for their wares.

Once Dain found out where she was, he'd make sure the people that captured her would regret any harm that was done to her. At least Vera was safe, for now. Looking at her and smiling to himself, Dain had his moments of doubt about whether or not he would actually be able to control the swarm, but so far all the signs were good.

O O O

Few hours passed before the hatchery reached its finished stage. With a pulse running through it that Dain could feel beneath his feet in the creep, the thin skin over the growing building bursting apart. It was like watching a snake shed its skin, the too small covering broke into pieces as the fleshy structure seemed to lift itself higher. The thin layer of creep was growing thicker, and Dain felt his feet lifted as the blanket of creep pushed him up higher, the edge of the creep seeming to start spreading again.

"Magnificent."

The circular structure had five cavernous entrances at its sides leading somewhere within, and between them another five bony spikes seemed to rise, as if threatening anything to try and harm its occupants.

He could feel them. Sleeping minds within the hatchery. Unborn Zerg larva were developing, and to his amazement, he could feel them reaching out to him, in his mind, only to be calmed by another, humming voice. It was like the hatchery was singing to them. It was a bizarre thought and a feeling he had not expected. Far from the savage horror he had witnessed in the games. Yet the strength was also there, no doubt about it.

Turning to face Vera then Dain found her looking at the structure amazed and a bit intimidated at first, but the eager curiosity seemed to be replacing any sense of dread or worry in her little by little. Perhaps she simply trusted in Dain that much, or perhaps there was more to creep than he had expected. Nonetheless, it was a first step towards a better future for both of them. All of them.

OOOOO

I think I should get a beta reader for these things. At the present time I am checking the text for any blatant writing errors, running a brief scan for typos, and having a friend have a look at it. Unfortunately, a friend is not always a best choice as I cant get a clear answer to even a question like should I type Zerg or just zerg in the text.


	3. Chapter 3: Early Steps

Author's Note: I do not own Starcraft or any of the units portrayed within it. Starcraft is the property of Blizzard Entertainment, I only own my original creations. This is a work of fan fiction, existing entirely outside any canon material. This tale was inspired by reading "_The Zerg Swarm_" tale by _East Bridge._

**Chapter 3 – Early Steps**

With a hatchery finished, and larva generation already started, it was only a matter of time before the Swarm would roam these lands and hunt meat for Dain and Vera. At least Vera, he corrected himself. Probably him too, he always did enjoy meat before after all, but he had a feeling that while he could sustain himself on creep, Vera would require some additional sustenance.

Dain still had the problem of having exhausted the supply of bio-energy he had received for that cycle. It didn't seem like it all came at once, but when he had wished to get the construction started as soon as possible it had pooled its production in the morning hours, and he felt he would not be getting more before the start of the next cycle. It was strange, but instinctive knowledge to him somehow.

There was something else on his mind though. Looking at Vera who was now looking around the hatchery gently touching its sides, seeming to marvel at its warmth and strange nature after the fear had left her. She was looking curious, and Dain was pretty sure if she had her way she would begin climbing it at some point. The caverns at least had made her back away at the smell within them. It did not spread to their surroundings but the hatchery's inside apparently had a scent that would take getting used to.

"Vera, I'm going to lay down for a minute, alright? I'm going to have to think a little bit, if I sleep a little moment don't worry I'll get up again soon, shake me if you see something scary."

It would be dangerous up until they had at least some zerglings around to protect them, but Dain was not sure how much one would cost to him in terms of bio-energy. He hoped that spawning creatures would consume less of it, otherwise it might take a while to build up any sort of defense force.

"Alright but if you think of falling asleep for long forget about it, we better get back to the cave before it gets dark, maybe take some of this stuff on the ground with us when we do."

Vera's reply reached Dain's ears as he lay down and let his mind focus inwards again. He could feel the minds of the larva within the hatchery's passages, five within each, waiting for an order to emerge and begin its morphing. He could feel the hatchery's warmth and hear the calming song it was singing in a melody that only touched the minds of zergs and him.

Focusing further he tried to recall how he had done it the last time, wanting to get more information of the current situation of the swarm. It took him a couple of tries, but eventually the image of a page appeared in his mind with a listing of information flowing down along it.

_Swarm Evolutionary Stage: Alpha_

_Patriarch Bio-Energy: 0/100_

_Patriarch Bio-Genesis: 10/cycle_

_Swarm Bio-Energy: 0/1.000_

_Swarm Bio-Genesis: 50/cycle_

It seemed his personal abilities had not changed, but the swarm had gained some ability to provide him with extra bio-energy at least. The hatchery or creep had to generate it somehow. More importantly, it had a vast storage for the energy to build up in, and it was being produced at a much faster rate as well.

There was a lot more he wanted to know. Dain decided the next topic should be the bio-energy cost of units. It seemed a logical step forward, he could have thought about the next structures but he would likely need drones for that and it was about time to get some protection too.

_Zergling_

_Warrior_

_Fast Recon Melee_

_Cost: 2 bio-energy_

_Drone_

_Worker_

_Capable of morphing into Zerg structures_

_Cost: 2 bio-energy_

_Overlord_

_Flying Tactical Commander_

_Provides instructions to warriors_

_Cost: 5 bio-energy_

The cost difference was noticeable. Structures cost an immense amount compared to the units, but it made more sense than the computer game's economy did. Nonetheless as soon as he would have some bio-energy to spare he would begin morphing some units. He estimated he should get two drones ready just in case he found out something they could use for additional resources, and a handful of zerglings to protect their territory. An overlord sounded useful, although its elevated cost meant he would likely only spawn one to begin with.

_Patriarch evolutionary stage at Zero, stasis of a one tenth of cycle required for evolution._

It seemed that the birth of a hatchery had unlocked a chance for him to evolve as well. He wasn't sure if he was willing to do so, at one hand it might increase his power but he worried if it would turn him more monstrous and make Vera scared of him. He decided to forgo that for the moment.

Opening his eyes again and sitting up Dain looked around. As he had expected Vera was already climbing up the hatchery's wall. He felt a little overprotective of her sometimes but he was reasonably sure she was safe, the hatchery seemed to be as tolerant of her as it was caring of its own larva. Perhaps it saw her similarly given his view of her as a little sister still, even though she was of age and an adult.

Indeed Dain knew that if things were different, he would have had a bit of a headache dealing with any young merchants trying to charm her to come with them instead of a life in a village. It seemed like a distant worry for now. In the wilderness a lone human was more likely to get attacked than spoken to.

Vera's scream broke him out of his thoughts and looking at her he saw her hanging on to one of the spikes at the top of the hatchery while staring at something behind him. Dain had a bad feeling but turning to look back the young black-haired patriarch of the swarm found himself facing a large beast. It was the size of a bull, but resembled a wild boar in its shape to him.

Dain knew it as a blood-hog. They were minor beasts, the least dangerous class of beasts, but that did not mean they weren't dangerous. Although mundane humans could hunt them, they were usually hunted in groups and Dain had no support to call upon at that time. The blackened, thick fur on the beast was puffed up similar to how a cat tried to look bigger, but the large white tusks it had made that quite an unnecessary gesture.

Daniel's mind was screaming him to run. Dain's mind was telling him to be careful. The patriarch's side of him knew that if he ran it might take out its anger on the strange structure in its way. It might actually dare to attack his hatchery. He wasn't sure what provoked it, but there was little choice.

"Vera! Stay up there, I'll handle this!"

Dain had no time to enter a stasis lasting for over two hours, a tenth of a cycle was a sizable amount of time still, so he had to fight with what he had. Thankfully Vera had brought him to the cavern with his most priced possession, a hunting knife his father had left him. The boar moved closer but began to circle him and the structure. Dain moved sideways keeping himself between it and the hatchery.

"Dain, get up here or run away, don't let it get near you! Don't be a hero and get yourself killed!"

Vera's worried shouts seemed to draw the beast's attention at her, its head lifting. Dain saw an opportunity, and with a speed he did not know he had he leaped forth and his arms rose holding onto the knife's handle, driving it through the beast's windpipe, piercing its throat and twisting the blade savagely.

The hit would have killed any earth's beast, but Prime was a savage world, and stronger beasts were often preying on the minor ones, so the skin on their neck was far tougher than it was on earth. It was still fairly thin compared to the rest of the blood-hog's body but the crimson boar bellowed a loud cry and shook its head, the dangerous sharp tusks slashing where Dain had just stood.

Moving with a speed he had not known he possessed Dain had leaped back just in time to save his throat, but his arm was slashed deeply. He could feel a bone aching in the middle of the muscles, but the patriarch did not begin to bleed. He hurt but he did not stop.

The boar charged at him and behind him lay the hatchery, Dain could not stop. Instead he charged as well, and thrust the knife ahead with all his strength. Driving it through the boar's eye, just as its tusks embedded themselves into his guts.

Last thing he saw was the boar shaking on its feet and falling to its side, and Vera rushing down the hatchery's side to get to him. He felt himself slipping into a darkness that was familiar, but he did not fear death. He was protecting his family. Both Vera and the unborn larva of the swarm. The hatchery was threatened and he was the only one there to protect it. It was as simple as that.

"_You should not refuse the gifts the family brings to you. It will protect you, and it will keep you safe. You can guide its growth and determine what it becomes. Try not to get yourself killed."_

The voice in his mind sounded like it was scolding him, but there was an odd comfort in it. His eyes opened, and he saw Vera's bloodshot, teary eyes staring at his own. Her black hair was messy, and he could swear he saw a bit of snot on her nose. He could have teased her how she didn't look beautiful at all, but he didn't feel that it was a right thing to do right then.

Wrapping his arms around her, he drew a deep breath. He was just grateful she was alright, even as she hit his chest. His stomach hurt but not really that badly, her words repeating as he held her, finally hearing her. She was sobbing but hugged him back intently after a moment.

"You idiot! You stupid weird brother, you cant die and leave me alone!"

Dain smiled and hugged Vera as long as she was sobbing, petting her hair and whispering to her ear gently. He wanted to tell her it was all going to be okay. That nothing could really harm them soon. He wanted to promise her that and more, but life was never certain.

"I'm still alive."

The wound hadn't killed him. Sun was setting, so he must have slept most of the day. He had healed, but he felt the wound aching in his stomach. Unlike when he had spent bio-energy at it, the wounds were recovering at a far slower rate. He had a feeling that without any bio-energy and a sufficiently deadly wound he might just not be able to recover, at least not at this stage. Stage zero apparently meant he was as close to human as he was going to be.

If he wanted to protect his family he would have to accept the fact that he was going to change. Things couldn't stay the same forever, life was about changing. He hoped that he would ultimately look back at it with fond memories, but future was uncertain until he'd make his choice. Looking at Vera's face, feeling the relief and concerned anger in her he embraced her gently a little longer, eyes closing as he thought.

It had been long enough. There had to be some bio-energy by now. With that thought in mind, he tried to keep hugging her while concentrating on the swarm. It appeared that at this stage zero he had a sense of both his surroundings and his swarm, but to get any more detailed information he had to surrender some of his awareness of his surroundings. Perhaps an evolution would make that easier too.

_Patriarch Bio-Energy: 0/100_

_Swarm Bio-Energy: 30/1.000_

Dain wanted to try and hurry the hatchery's production of bio-energy but he had a feeling that rushing would cause a strain that would backfire with delays later on while the ability would be recovering from the rush. He could rush himself tiring his own body somewhat. He couldn't risk doing that to the hatchery though, the thought of what might happen to the larva if something went wrong was a bit uncomfortable.

"We need protection if we are to remain here. We are going to need some protectors at our side. Vera, I need you to trust me again, I'm going to be okay."

Touching her cheek gently as he sat up, he walked towards the hatchery. Pressing a hand to its side, he felt a warmth against his palm, and a sound like a mixture of purring and soft hissing sounded out even though he was certain Vera did not hear it. He could feel the hatchery was happy, strangely enough.

"We need warriors."

"_Spawn eight zerglings and an overlord, and two drones as well."_

The hatchery shook and two larvae emerged from each of the five caverns, coated in thin slime that had eased their passage. They were the size of a large dog, crawling a little away from the hatchery itself, before pausing and starting to swell like a balloon filling with air. Pulsing and seeming to inflate and deflate giving an illusion of breathing, the swarm's first children began to take shape. The minds of the larva shifting, and Dain could feel the hatchery's song shifting, a different tone to each of the individual breeds now taking shape.

Turning to face Vera he smiled, and saw her watching with quiet curiosity, keeping a little distance at that time, not out of fear but restraint, seeming to wait for him to speak. He could tell the zerglings were eager to finish their morphing. It would take them probably close to half an hour, and the way the world's light was changing Dain and Daniel were fairly sure a day was twenty four hours, a single cycle of light and darkness. The two different time units were at touch difficult.

People on Prime usually relied on days and seasons for telling time, anything that needed to be done hurriedly had to be finished within one tenth of a cycle, measured by a large hourglass used in the towns to keep track of time. Four turns to rest and sometimes as many as six devoted to work. It was not a world with anything even remotely resembling a nine to five job which Daniel was more accustomed to expecting.

The overlord would take longer, almost an hour, but that was still less than half a turn. By quick math, Daniel estimated a single tenth of a cycle would be around two hours and seventeen minutes. He wasn't sure if he was going to bother thinking of hours in this world, but it helped him at this point to understand just how long it would take for his creatures to be ready.

Drones surprised him, taking almost a full turn to develop, but then again they were filled with a variety of understanding about what they could morph into when given the command, and they had to be morphed more carefully, to avoid any flaws developing. Silently accepting this as just another quirk he had not expected, Dain nodded his head to reassure himself and spoke to Vera.

"In a few hours we will have more protection and we will no longer need the stink-weed to protect ourselves against the beasts. In a few days, we will likely have more than enough beast-meat to eat every day."

With that thought in mind he turned to look around. The boar's body was there, but Dain could see that after it had fallen on the creep it had not left any kind of blood pool under it. The creep must have absorbed that to itself. He wondered if the creep could possibly preserve the meat for later eating somehow, but he had no idea how to do that just yet.

"Its been a long day though. I'll prepare us some dinner."

Pulling his knife from the dead beast's eye, Dain silently wished his sister wouldn't have had to witness him butchering the beast, but she was an adult, and a little blood didn't scare people in this world. The blood-hog had tried to kill him and paid for its attempt with its life. Its meat would feed them once roasted.

OOOOO

Thank you for the reviews so far, LLC, I found your reminder a good one to have but yes the hivemind does make things easier. As for your questions, I am afraid I cannot answer them properly just yet, you'll just have to read along and see for yourself.

So far Dain is a bit reluctant to change but is considering it as a means to survive on Prime. Shifting Vera is likely not on his mind at least yet, but who knows of the future.

His home village was attacked by raiders capturing women as slaves and killing the men. Its likely that he's the only male survivor from his village. Given how long its taking him to recover and get a swarm started, it may take a while for him to find his mother, if he finds her at all.

Though facing other villages or towns can be a source of curiosity further on.

Rin'negan, thank you for the review, quick as it may be the little show of having read and shared your thoughts helps me keep going at this.

Heir of Empires, I believe I replied to you in private message about the plans for the future, I'm doing a lot of things my own way, so we'll just both have to see I think.

Kane, I'd appreciate knowing a good beta-reader for these, I run a spellchecker on these texts when they're first written, but its just a simple automated service.


	4. Chapter 4: Warriors of the Swarm

Author's Note: I do not own Starcraft or any of the units portrayed within it. Starcraft is the property of Blizzard Entertainment, I only own my original creations. This is a work of fan fiction, existing entirely outside any canon material. This tale was inspired by reading "_The Zerg Swarm_" tale by _East Bridge._

**Chapter 4– Warriors of the Swarm**

The zerglings broke their cocoons with a a loud cry that made Vera back away a step. Although she had began to accept the zerg fast at his side, it was the first time she saw the warriors of the swarm. Breaking out of their cocoons the zergling's sharp claws and fangs made her shiver and try to hide behind Dain for a moment, holding onto his hand.

Squeezing his sister's hand reassuringly Dain watched the zerglings as they stepped forth. Like demon-dogs they were a mixture of purple and black shades, with the ivory white of their fangs standing out somewhat. They walked on strong back-legs but used their first set of limbs to aid in turning fast, and grasping things. Sharp nails looked ideal for holding onto something securely. The creature's third pair of limbs was scythe-like blades emerging above its front legs, and Dain had a feeling that while a zergling could pounce on something and hold onto it well with its first limbs its scythe blades would be the ones that the foe would really have to worry about. Albeit not for long, he thought to himself somewhat grimly.

For all their savage appearance the way they were flocking before him and reaching out their front claws to brush on his legs, Dain felt like he was a grandfather facing a crowd of children wanting a story. They were so eager, so happy and energetic, that the mental image kind of fit. He didn't mind, reaching out his free hand to pet one zergling's head.

The small hiss might have seemed hostile to someone but Dain could feel the way the zergling was pleased at the gentle touch. Vera was looking at the two of them worriedly holding onto Dain's other arm, but seeming to trust him to know what he was doing. Even if she did not understand how it had happened, Vera had a feeling that Dain was as safe if not even safer among these beasts than their whole family had been when their mother and father were both with them.

"Listen."

Dain spoke, and looked at the zerglings, addressing them directly while speaking his words. He wanted to see if they could understand him if he wasn't issuing commands through his mind but by his voice. While he couldn't understand the zerg hissing and screeches as words, he could have a feeling of what they meant by just touching the swarm's hivemind.

"I need you to protect this hatchery, me, and my sister."

As Dain stepped to the side he gestured at Vera who waved a hand a bit reluctantly. The zerglings seemed to be a little more intimidating to her than the things before, but Dain was fairly sure she would overcome that fear soon. Speaking seriously he continued.

"I also need you to search around nearby for anything you find odd. Let me know if you find anything. Move in pairs, and keep sure you come back alive."

The zerglings seemed to look at one another, a gesture that seemed humorous to Dain given they were already connected through the hive-mind and did not need to see one another to know what they were thinking at the time.

With a screech, the eight eager zerglings bolted off, in pairs, into the forest surrounding them. Running wild, they were faster than what Dain had expected. Daniel's memories suggested that zerglings were actually a little slow at first, requiring an evolution to become faster, but perhaps that was not true here. He did consider the possibility they might become even stronger still later on, but that would take a while for him to find out. He needed drones to find out what else he could construct on this creep blanket.

Dain also wanted to increase their territory already, and spread creep wider, try and see if they could begin to develop more bio-energy. That would also help so that they would be able to properly protect the swarm's primary hive, as he was already thinking of this clearing's hatchery. At least for now.

A curious thought occurred to him on the effects of creep with the local plants, the vegetation around the clearing had not died, the grass was pushed down and covered by the creep but the trees that were already surrounded by creep did not appear to be dying, or even suffering. The creep did not appear to be toxic to its surroundings at least, but he had half-expected that after Vera and he had eaten it for the first time.

Although it was a sweet treat to have, Vera had seemed noticeably better to his eyes after having had her fill of blood-hog pork. The comparison to an earth's boar was a strange one, but Dain had a feel that if he brought a blood-hog on earth someday it would shock any pig farmers for certain. That was the first time he had thought of earth in a little while too, but at the same time he had a feeling that this place was far away from it, and without knowing where to even begin looking, Dain would remain here and Daniel would be just another part of him.

"They look really vicious."

Vera's comment brought Dain out of his thoughts and made him smile. Nodding his head a little to her in reply he looked at the two remaining cocoons, the drones would keep them waiting a little longer. It puzzled him why there was no cocoon for the overlord, but he had decided to wait and see. Smiling to Vera as he gently pat her head in a brotherly fashion Dain spoke in a calm voice.

"They are loyal like puppies and eager to please, they know you are important and want to protect us both. They are looking around now for anything that might threaten us. I think they need to be a little vicious to be able to take down the dangerous beasts there may be around, but they are not as mean as they look."

She nodded her head a bit albeit Dain wasn't sure if she believed him entirely. That thought would have to wait though, as he felt a chirping noise in his mind, and a wave of excitement. Closing his eyes and sitting down, Dain focused his mind on the swarm, and what happened next surprised him as well.

He was staring at a large beast screeching in his face, or rather in the face of the zergling who he was witnessing things through. The size of a horse, this beast brought a massive wolf in mind. In this world, they were simply called hounds. No tamed dogs existed, not when the smallest of hound puppies was big enough to tear a fully grown man apart with its jaws and enough time.

While this was still a minor beast by the standards of this world, this one was among the higher end of that category. The sharp jaws tried to snap off the zergling's front legs, but it made the mistake of ignoring the other one. With a leap the second zergling began to tear away at the back of the hound's neck.

Taking down even a minor beast was usually a challenge, but the zergling's claws sank over and over into the flesh, tearing out whole chunks and ripping its way into the hound's neck with an intent to kill. It was a frightening sight, even more so because Dain knew from experience just how tough the beast muscles could be when they tensed them up, such as when they got attacked. Yet the zergling's claws were tearing away at it with a ferocity that seemed to shock even the beast itself.

As if that wasn't bad enough for the hound already, the first zergling took the opportunity of seeing the hound throw its head back to shake the second zergling off and with a snarl the first zergling slashed both its wicked scythe blades across the hound's neck. Ripping at the beast's neck and watching the blood start to flow.

Dain was a little stunned to witness the battle up close. It was one thing to view it on a computer screen, with usually repetitious small animation, but witnessing the sheer speed and violence of the zerglings like that was humbling. The screech at the sides of the battle scene reminded him of the benefits of the hive mind. As soon as the fight had started, or as soon as the zergling decided to attack when they were threatened the others in the area had dashed off to join the battle.

If two zerglings had been overpowering the hound quickly, the group of six was just plain brutality. The last two zerglings that had left to explore in the opposite direction didn't have the time to reach the fight before it was over. The hound collapsed with a last cry, and the zerglings shrieked their victory cry at the sky.

One of the zerglings was missing a scythe blade, another had bite-marks on its front legs, though Dain could see they were already healing. The zergling had actually stuffed its sharp nails up into the beast's jaws and at the roof of its mouth to aim for its brain once they had managed to break its lower jaw with a well aimed scythe slash.

That meant at least the minor beasts would not be a real challenge to the zerglings, but then again, even humans fought the minor beasts successfully sometimes, at least when they were in a group. The problem was that hounds were pack animals, and usually not alone. Dain was worried and preparing to order his zerglings to retreat when they reported something else.

There was blood at the scene, human blood, as well as stink-weed's scent in the air, pungent as ever. Following it, the zerglings soon discovered a small cavern nearby, and within it, the scent of blood was stronger. One zergling moved inside and the discovery made Dain swiftly sit up.

"Vera! Get down here. We're going to where the zerglings are. They found something. They found another human, also hiding away in a cavern."

He hadn't seen much, the figure was certainly human but dressed in a robe flowing from shoulders to ankles, and with a hood hiding the face, but there were no beasts that resembled humans that much so there was no real choice but to investigate. The human blood outside the cavern suggested whoever was there would be hurt, but talking through a zergling wasn't really an option. They would have to get there themselves.

"Really? They found another human?"

Vera dropped off of the hatchery's side, rushing to his side. The top of the hatchery seemed to be bulging slightly, and Dain could see a large cocoon taking shape at the top. The bony spines at the roof were parting wider, seeming to push that cocoon up top, seeming almost ready to burst. Briefly smiling he decided he had figured out why there had only been ten cocoons outside while he ordered eleven zerg to spawn. Although if overlords had to spawn that way, that would certainly slow their development. Worse still if it was the requirement for all flying members of the swarm.

"Yes, the zerglings can't talk but they are watching the cavern. They wait outside for the sake of whoever is in there, I think a sight of a zergling already scared our survivor, but hopefully whoever is in there will be willing to come out to talk after hearing a human voice."

Vera rushed to his side and nod, waiting for Dain to lead the way. The walk towards the place took a little longer than Dain had expected though, the zerglings were certainly faster runners than he was, and they also knew how to jump past obstacles without slowing down. They might actually be more deadly in the confines of a forest than out in the open, he thought to himself. Traditionally the zerglings were used as a rush strategy, a wave of zerglings tearing apart anything in their path regardless of the cost to themselves. With the obstacles in the forest blocking sight, and the zerglings all knowing what at least one of them knew, they might just make the forest their new primal hunting ground.

All those thoughts would have to wait for a while though, Dain decided, as they finally made their way to the clearing. If having seen a hound through the eyes of a zergling was bad enough, seeing one with his own eyes was worse. They were frightening, tall and muscular beasts, and he couldn't help but shiver at the thought of having to face one of them himself. No wonder only adepts and mystics were accepted into hunting parties that went after groups of these things, or worse still, after lesser or even greater beasts.

Nearing the small cavern and grasping his nose in disgust at the smell of stink-weed Dain hoped he wouldn't have to deal with any longer than he had to, but holding a hand in front of Vera for her to stay back at least first Dain entered the cavern, raising his voice.

"Hello ? The hound outside is dead, you are safe now. Come out, my sister and I would want to meet you."

He didn't want to add that they were not raiders or slavers. That would have probably only made whoever was in the cave more nervous about the possibility of them just lying. Backing away somewhat, he waited a moment until he saw a robed figure approaching.

"It is really dead? Its been stalking outside for days, how did you manage to kill it? I don't sense the power in you."

The voice of a young woman made Dain pause. He wasn't sure what to reply right away other than to simply nod and gesture her to come closer, backing away. It took him almost half a minute to regain his voice.

"It fought creatures that protect me, and lost."

Stepping outside, he silently looked at the zerglings wishing they would back away a little. Seeming to catch the hint, they made a slightly larger circle around the carcass of the beast and Vera who was waiting near it.

As the young woman stepped outside Dain turned to face her hoping to have a better look than he could have in the cavern, but was met with a black mask on her face as well as the hood on her face covering up most of head still, although he could see some fiery red hair between the edges of the mask and the hood.

"I don't know who you are or what you were doing here, but I am grateful for your aid. I was wounded earlier and the hound kept tracking me. I might have had to risk starvation before it gave up, my supplies had nearly ran out."

Dain nod his head and was about to ask something more but Vera rushed in and grasped the masked woman's hands in her own and cheerfully pulled her over to the beast's carcass. Already speaking at a fast pace excitedly, it made Dain smile silently seeing her so eager and happy. It felt good to see her spirits soaring after the traumatizing attack on their home village.

"My brother, Dain, is in control of these strange small hounds, and also some larger beast that must be their mom. They protect us and Dain protected their mother before, and they killed a beast here, and Dain killed a beast before, and oh my name is Vera, what's yours? Where do you come from?"

It seemed that she both wanted to brag about him and start throwing out her own questions. Dain smirked faintly, being a bit flattered but also a bit worried about how to explain the facts to Vera properly at some point. It would be hard to get her to understand something that he had learned in another life in a place far away from here.

"My name is Gem, and I am a mystic. Unfortunately my gift didn't help me much with the hound, but I will try and repay you the favor somehow. I also ask that you help me in return."

Dain looked at her seriously, narrowing his eyes somewhat. She had now openly admitted to being a mystic, something he had expected after her words earlier at the cavern. Mystics and adepts usually could tell who also shared their talent. Adepts were more martial, capable of boosting their bodies to the physical limits of human capabilities, and sometimes beyond. Mystics knew the more mental arts, but sometimes they had terrifying magic that could cause tremors, bursts of flame, a strike of lightning or a heavy rain. They could be both useful, and dangerous. Depending on how strong they were in the arts, of course.

"I think we may be able to help one another. My sister is good at tending to the wounded, she should be able to help you out."

Gem nodded and gestured back at her cavern for Vera, who seemed to be eagerly following along, already tearing strips of cloth from a small bundle she had pulled out of the bag she was carrying at her side. Dain wasn't sure how much she had there, but it was likely all she had left of their home village. Whether that was a piece of clothing she had wanted to save, or just cloth she had taken to help tend to his wound, he would not know, but he was reminded of their own loss clearly by this small gesture.

Perhaps Gem would help them find their mother. He also wondered what Gem would need from them. Protection for now perhaps, but beyond that, he had a feeling that to secure her aid he would have to agree to do a whole lot more.

He also found himself wondering what she looked like behind that damn mask. The fiery red locks had him curious, and the robe was hiding her form in a way that only made him want to see her more. It was a bit annoying. He caught sight of one of his zerglings approaching the cavern entrance, as if answering his desire to know, making him quickly wave a hand for it to come away from there.

As much as he wanted to know, Dain wouldn't lower himself to peeping on girls.

OOOOO

Well, this was an interesting chapter to try and write. To answer a question asked before, Daniel was 24 before dying, and Dain was younger than that. Vera is his younger sister, but they are both adults. That would place them somewhere between 18 and 23. I've not set a particular age for certain just yet, just that they're both of age.

Hope that clears up that bit of thought. As always, please feel free to ask if you have questions, and please review, it helps me keep going and also to maintain a faster update rate.

I might also start posting some small questions here now and then, about where the plot may head at some points, probably on smaller points than any large plot decisions but still. I might, but its just at thought for now.


	5. Chapter 5: Few Answers

Author's Note: I do not own Starcraft or any of the units portrayed within it. Starcraft is the property of Blizzard Entertainment, I only own my original creations. This is a work of fan fiction, existing entirely outside any canon material. This tale was inspired by reading "_The Zerg Swarm_" tale by _East Bridge._

**Chapter 5– Few Answers**

Dain considered himself a reasonable young man in general, but even though the zerglings could tell him that both Gem and Vera were both still in the cavern he was getting a bit anxious. Their talk and the bandaging was taking a lot longer than he had been expecting. Long enough that the overlord had emerged from its cocoon while Dain and four of his zerglings waited at near the dead hound.

He had instructed the zerglings to slice out pieces of the hound's meat to examine it, and though he was no butcher he could tell that the meat was stringy and tough, not the best variety to eat. The body of the blood-hog was still fresh enough so he had decided to let the body of the hound remain where it was until the other beasts would find it and devour it.

Lesser beasts and stronger varieties usually had some control of magic, and as such, they usually also had a little crystallized essence with them. Something the mystics and adepts were capable of using, albeit it was usually rare enough that it was only used in a serious danger. Dain was curious if he could take advantage of those crystals, but to find out he would have to fight at least a lesser beast, something he was less than eager to try with just zerglings at his side. At least with just eight zerglings at his side, he corrected himself swiftly.

The overlord's floating form came to view above Dain and the zerglings, and Dain couldn't help but shiver at its presence. The large black and purple figure of the overlord was somewhat slow but its mind was anything but slow. He could already feel the way it was watching their surroundings, keeping an eye on them protectively.

If the zerglings had behaved like overeager grandchildren, full of energy and giving him a feeling of being revered and loved, he could tell the overlords were respectable to the zerglings and for a good reason. Albeit they were slow, the mind he could feel in the floating creature was impressive, its senses tracking any signs of a possible threat around Dain and instructing the zerglings already.

"_Greetings, Patriarch of the Swarm. This one is ready to assist"_

Dain was somewhat stunned to hear the booming, low voice of the overlord in his mind. It had actually talked to him in words that he could understand. He had not expected it, but at the same time he had to admit he hadn't know what to expect so far anyway.

"_Greetings to you, overlord. I am waiting for my sister and our newly found companion to return from the cavern, but in the meanwhile I would like to ask something."_

"_I will gladly offer any answers I possess but I do not know if there is anything a patriarch would not already know that I could tell one."_

It seemed there was a measure of amusement in the overlord's reply after Dain's own words. It was getting easier and easier to touch the mind of the swarm, though he had a feeling it was still just a fleeting touch on the surface compared to what he might gain later on if he chose to evolve along with the swarm.

"_Being alive means learning more still. Someone that claims to know everything knows nothing. Someone that admits knowing little is going to learn much. However, right now I need to know something simple. How is Bio-Energy created?"_

There was a short pause as the overlord's body came closer to the surface, its bloated body kept aloft by a mixture of mental power and internal gas reservoirs. The way its deep gold eyes focused on him was curious, and Dain had a feeling it was trying to look him in the eyes, as much as it could at least. Slender tentacles beneath it brushing the ground and one of the zerglings that ran past near the two of them.

"_Bio-Energy is generated by the Swarm's Patriarch internally through the connection to the Swarm, and by the Swarm through its connection to the world. The larger the creep carpet becomes and more it can draw both nutrients and sunlight, the greater the production of Bio-Energy becomes as well."_

There was a short pause as the overlord watched Dain quietly, then continuing for a little more. There was another amused tone to its mental voice. Dain swore that the zergs had personalities no game could even hope to do justice to, and these little quirks would become interesting to learn, and hopefully also helpful further on.

"_I believe my understanding is correct on this?"_

Dain nod his head seriously. It was news to him, but in a way, it made sense once again. Plants drew energy from their roots and the sunlight that they used for photosynthesis. Though the creep probably worked differently, it would make sense to use what resources were available. In the absence of easily covered gas vents and mineral deposits in the form of crystal fields, roots and gathering sunlight were certainly options.

"_That sounds correct, I was thinking about the possibility of increasing the generation speed somehow. Perhaps gathering supplies in some form, from the beasts or elsewhere in this world. It can wait for now though, we still have a long way to go. The first drones should hatch in less than half a turn now."_

Dain had formed the answer in his mind when he could hear Vera and Gem returning. Though Gem seemed surprised at the sight of the overlord and raising a wooden staff briefly before Vera put her hand on top of Gem's own, nothing happened, at least not yet. Dain was still wary, there was a variety of different things that mystics could do and he had no way of knowing what she was capable of before he would have a chance to learn more of her.

"You two took a good while. The overlord emerged while you were gone and came to make sure we are safe until our return home."

Nodding towards the slowly ascending creature Dain could see a look of curiosity in Gem's emerald green eyes. Commanding beasts was a very rare skill, only few individuals had such a skill in the past, but Gem had already told him that he had no power, at least the kind of power she could detect, so this must be puzzling her.

"Do you have many creatures obeying you, Dain? Your sister seems to be under the impression you are well respected by these beasts of yours, but I haven't seen any of them before or even heard about creatures like them."

"They are the Swarm, and I am their Patriarch. While Vera and I are brother and sister the Swarm is like another family, and they follow my guidance. They also protect Vera and I because they view all of us as one large family."

It was not going to be easy trying to explain things to either of them, but it seemed that Gem decided to accept his words at face value, at least for now. Perhaps she would ask more when they had a moment alone, or after she had an opportunity to think things through, but for now it seemed she had something else on her mind. It was hard to tell through the mask she carried.

"I was hoping to finish my mission fast, before I was injured. I am sorry to ask this of you but would you be willing to assist me in tracking down a group of criminals and capturing them if possible?"

Narrowing his eyes somewhat at her request Dain considered it quietly. He wasn't sure he could agree to it without knowing what the criminals had done. If it was something minor, he would want to know their side of the story, but then again he was reasonably sure that anyone fleeing to wilderness had committed a serious crime.

"I will consider it but I need a few answers first. First, what did these criminals do that is so important you are willing to chase them to this wilderness alone? Second, do you have some sort of magic that allows you to find people or am I going to have to rely on the swarm to scout out for their location?"

Dain had understood that some mystics were good at locating people or things, and if that was true then having her on his side would be a definite step in the right direction on finding his mother, or those who had attacked the village.

Resting his arms at his sides, he waited and watched her, seeing Vera move to his side too while looking up at the overlord floating high above. Gem seemed to consider his question for a couple seconds but then spoke in a serious voice, her eyes gazing at his past that mask.

"They are thieves and murderers. They broke into my teacher's home and stole a tome full of research notes. They are cryptic and I doubt they would be able to decipher them on their own, they did not seem the sort of people who would benefit from them. I am sure there is someone that hired them to do that however, and they were willing to kill my teacher to get their hands on those notes. I cannot allow them to get away with that."

She watched him intently for a moment, waiting to see if he approved perhaps. Nodding his head for her to go on, Dain waited. That answered the first question at least, and also made it clear to him there was no need to hold back. Thieves and murderers deserved all they got when the swarm was unleashed to hunt.

"As for finding them, I can use the arts to track the notes my teacher had, I have a few pages so they form a sympathetic link. I can track their general direction and about how far they are. They got three days lead on us now though."

Casting a look back at the body of the dead hound Gem had a frustrated look in her eyes and Dain could sympathize with that. He had no way to track his mother or the raiders just yet, but if he could get Gem on his side there was at least a chance. They needed something that his mother also had though, if she couldn't just look for a person.

"Gem, are you able to look for a person as well, or is your magic limited to objects?"

The question made her blink, and despite the mask he could tell she was confused. Nodding her head quickly though she began to answer, but that nod was enough to make Dain feel relief. It was possible, at least, for them to find Hana too then.

"I am able to look for people too if I know them or I am touching someone that knows them, but it has to be someone I have known for a long while, and I don't even know who the thieves and murderers were, only what my teacher's neighbor could tell me when I arrived and found out what had happened."

Nodding his head and thinking about the situation Dain had a feeling he was going to accept and help her. It sounded like she genuinely needed help and whoever had committed this crime was not the sort of a person he liked having loose. Of course, a lot of people did cruel things in this world but there were limits. Murder was one of them.

"I'll help you. In exchange, you will help me and my sister find our mother and the men that attacked our village before. You will get your teacher's tome back, and we'll get our mother back, and we'll both get justice, or vengeance, on those who did this."

He wasn't certain if he could call it justice to kill murderers or slavers, especially when there were personal feelings involved. Vengeance was a reason that could be mistaken for justice far too easily in the heat of the moment. He wanted to capture both the raiders and these thieves, but if they would fight the swarm, he already knew he would not bother telling the zerglings to try and take them down alive.

"How many of them are out there?"

"Just four, all of them men based on what I have found. They were moving towards the swamp, probably hoping to make anyone tracking them back down."

Dain must have looked far too confused for a moment, because she sighed and continued talking. Dain certainly didn't like the news. He really did not like the news.

"The swamps are swarming with lesser beasts and perhaps even a few greater beasts."

The zerglings shrieked out loud as Dain cussed out loud. His Swarm could sense his aggravation, and the anger in him at this last piece of news. He wasn't ready, he was far from ready to face this challenge but if he took too long the thieves would get away. Facing those swamps would mean risking all his zerglings, and even then it would not guarantee success.

"Son of a-"

OOOOO

Alright, I've received some advice, some good commentary and critique, and now apparently my first hate-mail.

Enzlo, if you have a story written up to 41,000 words as you claim, what is stopping you from posting it up and simply stating you drew inspiration from East Bridge as well, and seeing what people think of it? I don't know what you have planned, if we have had similar ideas so far then ah well. We both used the same background material and inspiration, so its possible I figure.

However, stories can go so many different ways, and even this story is just at its beginning stages, so shouting at me? Not going to do you any good. Post your story and hey, I might like it and review it positively. I liked what East Bridge wrote and wanted to write my own spin of such a tale in turn after adding it in a review of his story that I'd be interested in doing something with the idea that he introduced to this community (as far as I know at least).

That said, I'll keep on writing, haters are going to hate, but the only way we win is that everyone who likes writing posts their stories and people share their thoughts openly. That said, here's the 5th chapter.


	6. Chapter 6: The Chase Begins

Author's Note: I do not own Starcraft or any of the units portrayed within it. Starcraft is the property of Blizzard Entertainment, I only own my original creations. This is a work of fan fiction, existing entirely outside any canon material. This tale was inspired by reading "_The Zerg Swarm_" tale by _East Bridge._

**Chapter 6 – The Chase Begins**

Dain would normally have paused to wait and build up his strength, but he did realize there was a certain urgency involved. The thieves and murderers that Gem was after might get away if they got past the obstacle that lay in their way, and Dain was not entirely certain if her abilities would work at any distance, or if there would be a limit to it. He suspected the latter, given what he knew of the adepts and mystics from before.

He left the overlord with the simple instruction to spawn ten more zerglings while he was gone, leaving two of his already limited numbers to stay with the hatchery. The hive-site would be vulnerable and someone finding and destroying it in his absence would set back his plans for several days, not to mention give any foe a chance to study the swarm in more detail than he wanted to permit to anyone else.

So with six zerglings at his side he was running even as his feet were aching. Gem had joined the hunt, where as he had insisted that his sister remain at the hive-site. It had not been an easy task to make her agree to it, though she trusted him there was a little wariness in her about staying with the swarm when he was gone, but eventually she had agreed.

He would have preferred to leave Gem back there as well but he needed her to track and identify the thieves. It still meant one more person for the already small numbers of zerg to protect on this task. Having been running for a while already, the fatigue had been building up as well. While Dain's legs were aching some, Gem looked like she was ready to collapse. Not that she was in a bad shape necessarily, but her wound must have been slowing her down. The zerglings however would have been able to charge ahead a lot faster on their own, making Dain wonder if it would have been simpler to just leave it all up to them.

Dain had considered allowing himself the evolution back at the hive-site but he had decided against it at the last moment. He was still not ready to do it, it took a little more preparation for him to take the leap and see what would happen. The memories from Daniel warned he might become something similar to Kerrigan, a powerful hybrid but so clearly infested that dealing with humans would be a difficult task after such a change.

"Should we take a break?"

Looking at Gem seriously as he asked the immediate answer was a swift shake of her head. The hood and the mask covered her expression but her tone was tired yet determined. Dain had to admit it was impressive she could keep up with her wound, but perhaps he just needed a reminder to not underestimate anyone.

"We are getting closer, we can rest when this is over. Maybe once we get to the swamp. The beasts you control might find a safe path while we gather our strength and then find our foe. They wont move fast there either."

The answer did surprise him, and he shook his head. As strong as he felt he was, there were limits to that stamina too, and he hadn't been that strong before the swarm made him its patriarch. If their foe had a three day lead, they would have to pause and rest a few times. He would guess that at best it would take them four or five days to catch up with the enemy. It would likely take as many days to get back. On the positive side, it would at least leave him with a healthy amount of bio-energy on return.

"We cannot run three days straight to catch up with them, as much as we might try. We need to take pauses, rest and get our strength back, and keep going again then. They may be moving slow since they are now crossing a swamp but the zerglings here won't have that disadvantage there. Once we reach the swamp's edge, we can start causing them trouble before we catch them."

Ideally, he wanted to have the zerglings ruin their food supply during a night's shadow, scout out who among the enemy, if any, were adepts or mystics. He doubted they would have taken such a risky path without at least some along, in worst case, they might all be adepts or mystics. Such a foe he might not be able to defeat with his current numbers. In that case, they'd have to steal the notes and flee. Leading the enemy back to their own superior numbers.

"We have to keep moving now. Once they are past the swamp they will be a lot harder to catch up on. At least they have to move carefully at the swamp to not be detected by the beasts."

Gem's statement made Dain smile a little at least. Her concern for the thieves getting away had already lead her to a chase through the forest known to house some minor beasts, but heading to a swamp where lesser and perhaps even greater beasts roamed was a clear show of her determination. He wouldn't have much success swaying her opinion this way, he concluded.

"If we run ourselves ragged we will be in no shape to fight them. The zerglings can run far faster than we, so once we get close to the swamp they can cause trouble without endangering themselves too much directly. Allowing us to catch up. I'm reluctant to send them off yet though, while we are on open ground."

They had already left the forest's edge behind them. They had not been able to really run in the forest but once they got to its edge Gem had displayed a need to get moving at a pace that left Dain a bit surprised. Despite her wound, Gem had apparently no concern for her own health when it came to catching those criminals. Either that, or his sister had managed to do a lot more about those wounds than Dain had expected.

"I... I guess that you are right. Maybe a little later. Lets keep running for now."

At least she was willing to agree to some rest later. Dain decided to not push the issue right then, instead keeping on running. Forced march would have been faster overall in his opinion, but if she insisted, he could hardly let her go alone if he wanted her aid. Besides, leaving her with just the zerglings might leave her just as uncomfortable.

O O Later that evening O O

Ever since they'd reached the forest's edge and started crossing the wild plains Dain had been thinking over what would happen when the swarm grew. They obviously needed more ground. The forest blocked some sunlight, but the soil was rich and he had a feeling that both rich soil and the amount of sunlight played a part in the energy creation. He'd have to experiment in time and find out, but until they returned to hive complex, he'd have to leave those ideas on a hold.

"_The zerglings have been born, and are scouting the surrounding areas Lord Patriarch. Shall we begin working on the Evolution Chamber when the resources are gathered?"_

The overlord's question caught Dain by surprise. Then again, his link to the swarm was still there. He was using it with less and less effort. At first it had knocked him out unmoving when he tried to do as much as issue a simplest of commands, but it was becoming as natural as breathing. Perhaps he was adapting little by little, even without going through evolutionary stages.

"_What are my options for construction?"_

"_Today there is no bio-energy for construction anymore, but we can begin working on something as soon as we have built the energy reserves. Lord Patriarch, at this stage we can create an Evolution Chamber, a Spawning Pit, or an Extractor."_

The last item on the list caught his attention. Extractors were, at least in Daniel's mind a method of gathering Vespene gas which did not seem to naturally exist in this world. Its usefulness made him wonder if there was an adaption there too, since he was fairly sure he should not have been able to create Zerglings either without a spawning pit first being built.

"_What use would an Extractor be in this world? I haven't witnessed natural resources on the surface that could be covered so."_

"_The Extractor pulls nutrients from the creep covered soil and purifies them faster. It also takes care of the soil by managing it so that it is not overtaxed and burned, unless Lord Patriarch demands the use of **spoiled earth **strategies."_

The answer surprised him. So Extractors were actually capable of increasing his resource generation speed? That made them invaluable asset to create and protect then, but he was also curious about the other options he had. However, it would be better to save his resources for now and only protect the hive cluster for the time being. He had to focus on the hunt, the other details would be best left waiting, especially if things went bad and they would need to build up a lot of troops at once.

"_Watch over the hatchery and have the zerglings there protect the area and my sister. I trust everything has been well so far?"_

"_Yes, Lord Patriarch, she has been eating, drinking, sleeping and shedding her skin."_

Dain was about to ask what the overlord meant with the last part but the mental image of his sister undressing to bathe in the stream came up faster than he could put his question into words in his mind. A small blush spread across his face.

"You have been quiet for a while."

Gem's voice broke him from his thoughts. She was holding some meat over their campfire by a stick, packaged by Vera and Gem before they had set on their hunt. Dain didn't feel hungry yet, so he had left it to Vera, making small amount of supplies last longer. Still, he figured he had been a bit quiet for a while.

"I was just thinking about the future."

Which he had been, in a way. Yet he felt like he was lying to her as well. Part of him wanted to pound his chest and try and boast about his strength and the power of the swarm, to impress her and get her on his side. Yet another part told him that she might just laugh at such an attempt and he was better off calming himself.

"What about it? The hunt is going to take a few days, but once it is over I will help you and your sister. I owe you a lot already."

Her tone was a bit awkward, and he caught on fast. She had seemed to realize just how much she was asking when she spent a while talking with Vera about all that had happened to her and Dain before. Perhaps it had put things into a new perspective for her, especially when Dain had confided it to her he wasn't sure their present amount of zerglings would be enough to stop the thieves.

Waiting even a day would mean risking it that their foes would escape the swamp and be on their way over easier terrain. The thought of that seemed to trouble Gem more than anything else right now. Drawing a breath, Dain considered his answer, wanting to try and put some of her fears to rest.

"I am thinking of having the zerglings rush ahead once we are at the swamp's entrance. We can move together after our foes on more safe trail if there is one while the zerglings can attack them where it hurts. Break water containers, hit-and-run tactics, denying them a chance to rest. They will be angry naturally but also more vulnerable. Especially if they have to use magic there in the swamp. Use too much and you begin to attract beasts, right?"

The question seemed to catch her by surprise, she was silent for a moment before nodding. Dain had a feeling he had said something odd. Thinking back, Daniel knew little about the magic in this world, and Dain himself knew only what he had learned from his mother about adepts and mystics.

"Not many people are aware that the beasts can sense magic the same way mystics know one another. Though that range is pretty limited, it might still give away their position to the more sensitive beasts. Its not a bad idea."

Smiling a little feeling he had made a good impression for now at least, Dain watched her bringing the piece of hot meat closer to her face, and the mask. He waited to see her lift the mask and eat, but saw only her sharp gaze meeting his. "Can you please look away or take a small walk for a few moments if you aren't eating? I feel a little shy with you watching me like that."

Dain was a little surprised by her words, but smiled and nod his head in a calm manner. Standing up and walking a bit away, he wondered if it was that difficult for her to trust him with how her face looked. Deciding to not press on the issue though, he moved a little aside, thinking about things. There would be a lot to do later on.

O O The next day O O

The chase was on again, and the eight of them were covering a lot of ground. The rest had allowed Dain and Gem to gather their strength, but the long path was starting to press on them. A pair of hounds had been walking at the plains earlier and watched them, but had apparently decided to leave the zerglings and the humans alone. Perhaps even they could understand the danger of that number of zerglings. Still, they were minor beasts, and Dain had a feeling before the hunt was over they would have casualties.

That lead him to thinking about mortality briefly. Another subject he would have to bring up with the overlord later. He could feel the minds, distant now as they covered more ground, and the ones close by, his zerglings rushing along and looking back waiting for them at times, scattering to scout ahead a little way and then returning as fast, seemingly filled with energy.

In a way Dain could feel the zerglings were not scared at all, they were excited if anything. The feeling of anticipation was emanating from each of them, as they kept running along with Gem and Dain. When they would get closer to the foes Dain wondered if the zerglings would be able to contain that excitement and follow his instructions properly. The tactical control of an overlord might have been a big help here, but he had wanted to leave the smarter zerg to keep both the hatchery and Vera safe while he was gone.

Just then a shriek caught his attention. One of the zerglings had found something. A human corpse. Changing his direction he waved for Gem to follow, wanting to save his breath when she'd see why he was running a little to the side instead of following the direct path they had been following earlier.

"Great Stars!"

Gem drew breath sharply as they reached the body. The man's body had been torn in two, his legs mangled and large chunks of flesh missing. His chest was torn apart, and it seemed something had stolen at least the man's heart, probably a few other organs as well. There was signs of battle, scorched grass and a broken iron sword laying nearby.

"This was not done by my zerglings. Whatever killed him might still be near."

Dain was being cautious although at some level he wondered if he was being paranoid. He didn't know bodies well enough to say for sure if this man had been dead for a while already, or if this was a recent kill. If their estimate of the foes having a three day lead was true, then this man must have died a day or two before. They were supposed to reach the swamp's edge by the end of the day, and after that, it might take from two to three days to cross the swamp area. At least normally. He had a feeling the zerglings would find a path for them a lot faster.

"He was one of the thieves. The pages have been in his possession. They're not here though, they're at the swamp. The others must have ran off with them. I don't think they could have done these kinds of wounds to one of their own, but I don't understand why they just left him so."

Gem's confusion seemed a little naïve to Dain. The foes were on the run, possibly aware they were being chased too if they had mystics, and what's more the violent death of this man suggested that whatever had attacked might have gone after them too. It was entirely possible in his mind that the enemy had simply had no choice at all.

"Maybe its a wandering beast from the swamp. Something stronger than they were ready for caught them off guard, killing one before they could do anything. If I was in such a situation and had no way of defeating such a foe, I'd take what I stole and run."

She looked at him and nod her head in agreement, seeming to think about his words seriously. Sighing and pressing her hands together, she whispered some sort of a prayer for the stars from the sounds of it. Dain hadn't been particularly religious, and neither had the rest of his family, but he was aware of the respect some people held for the stars. Belief that the ancestors looked down upon their mortal descendants from there, welcoming them too in time to the world above.

"We best keep moving. At least the enemy is weakened."

Dain turned away from the torn remains of the thief, looking ahead towards the swamp's direction. A chill ran down his spine as he worried if his zerglings could handle such a beast. His worries were met with a shriek that sounded a little insulted, the zerglings gathered in a half-circle before him. Smiling a little he nod his head, correcting himself in his mind. His zerglings were fast, smart, and vicious to the enemies of the swarm.

He would emerge victorious and reclaim the stolen material. Returning it to Gem would be a show of good faith in her, and he was reasonably sure she would help him find his mother in turn. Dain had a feeling he would have helped her even if she wasn't able to help him with his mother though. There was something about her that made him want to be at her side.

Must be that power that all attractive women had when they wanted. Dain was human enough to be attracted to her, and the mask added a little mystery to her. He wanted to see behind it, but at the same time he knew he would not force it. That was simply not something he would do.

"Lets keep moving. The sooner we reach them, the sooner you will get back what was stolen and those responsible will fall."

OOOOO

There we go, 6th chapter is done. I have been out of contact most of last week, and was busy during the weekend, but I finally got back to writing at the start of the week and here we go. I'll start working on the next chapter, and hope to upload it somewhere during the weekend.

I have taken a look at some of the reviews. The characters don't feel real? I can admit that its a little bit of a learning process for me. I hope you will be able to follow along, I have an idea of each character's personality, but it is a little clumsy on my part in trying to portray them accurately. I'll hope the quality improves as the chapter count rises.

As for the question about the Cerebrates, you will have to see. I have played more Starcraft 1 than Starcraft 2, but I now have my copy of Starcraft 2 (Wings of Liberty) and have been testing them out today. I aim to draw inspiration from both games, the setting itself, and adding a bit of my own as things go on.

I liked the ideas that East Bridge showed in his tale, but I aim to still proceed a little differently. Some things will be similar, some things will be different, I have a couple of long-term plans in mind, it depends on how the story shapes up.

On the resource issue, there's an idea there I'll try and portray as more revelations are made. Large area coated in creep may help, but it is also likely to draw attention from anything roaming near it.

As for how the swarm develops, you will see as time goes on.

Alright, please read and review, I'll take the good with the bad, and hopefully I'll improve my writing. I'll try and take any constructive criticism to heart, but I also enjoy positive reviews and work towards completion of the next chapter faster when on a good mood. Of course, I'll never improve with just praise. Anyhow, this is a lot longer out of character section than I should be loading with the story so I'll stop with it, for now.


	7. Chapter 7: From the Ashes

Author's Note: I do not own Starcraft or any of the units portrayed within it. Starcraft is the property of Blizzard Entertainment, I only own my original creations. This is a work of fan fiction, existing entirely outside any canon material. This tale was inspired by reading "_The Zerg Swarm_" tale by _East Bridge._

**Chapter 7 – From the Ashes**

The sounds of battle had ended and all that could be heard was the fire consuming what was left of the settlement. The raiders attack had broken through the defenses, and Vera did as she was told. She hid, while Dain and Hana fought. She would have wanted to fight too, but her brother and mother would not hear a word about that.

Looking at the slaughtered bodies of her former neighbors she began to realize just how final this attack had been. The peaceful life they had been living was over. There was no signs of Dain or Hana coming for her. They were gone, like her father. She was alone. It was like a snake constricting both her heart and her throat.

Surveying the wreckage, her steps were quiet as she moved carefully, avoiding any burning cinders and pools of blood to the best of her ability. She had been teased and taunted by some of the men around there. Some had joked that they would marry her one day. She had always laughed it off but right now, she felt so alone she would have hugged any of them if they could get up and joke around like before.

Being alone in the wilds of Prime was a death sentence, and crueler than just taking someone's life. They would have to struggle in vain to stay alive. Two people could at least look after one another, but one was doomed almost certainly. Some tales spoke of talented adepts and mystics roaming alone, but for most people the only chance was going out with companions. Someone to keep watch while the others slept.

The futility of it all began to sink in when she found Dain. Laying on his back in the muddy ground, with wounds in his chest and stomach, bloody and broken. She felt her eyes water. She hated her brother's jokes and over-protective nature at times but yet she knew he wanted to be there for her. She had often told him she wished he was dead, but at the end of the day she was glad he was there.

Reaching down to touch his cheeks, she felt a soft breath on her fingers. Her eyes widened, and the lessons she had learned from the old herbalist came to her mind. She needed clean cloth for bandages. Her old skirt would have to do, she had hidden with it. She could wear the ugly pants or the ragged skirt that was dirty enough it was impossible to tell the original color. She needed some herbs. The ruins of the herbalist's home might still have some of them.

The howling of the hounds reminded her that carcasses would draw wild beasts to the carnage soon. Grimacing at the thought of her former neighbors being so disrespectfully left to the beasts, she had no options. Survival mattered more. She bound Dain's wounds to the best of her ability, and then lifted him onto an old cart that the farmers used to bring in the harvest.

O O Hours later O O

The stink-weed would keep the smell of blood from attracting any beasts to the cavern. It was a somewhat cold hiding place but she had little options. Spreading the half-burnt furs on the cavern floor and laying Dain down to rest, she changed his bandages silently praying the stars would not take him among them yet.

She did not want to be alone. Being alone was a death sentence. Her brother was all that she had left of her family, and she wasn't ready to bury him. Working feverishly and praying for mercy, she hoped that he'd awaken, open his eyes, and ruffle her hair again. She wasn't a kid anymore but that over-protective brother meant more to her now that she had almost lost him, and still might.

O O Dusk of the first day of the Chase O O

Vera drew a deep breath and sighed, laying back on the top of the hatchery. The past few days had brought a lot of confusion to her life. Her brother had woken up, but he had changed. He was still the same protective brother that she remembered, but there was something else. Confidence and certainty, and then the strange beasts that he had apparently tamed.

It was confusing to her. Neither of them should have magic as an adept or mystic, it should have already shown up if they did. Something had happened when he lay dying however. His wounds had healed too fast, and his changed personality made her worry. She didn't talk to him that much at first, wanting to make sure it was her brother and not some malevolent power using his body. It seemed silly, but some old stories about the vengeful mystics that didn't accept their own death returning in the body of another came to her mind.

Yet he kept protecting her, and the structure he had made, going as far as almost getting himself killed. Then those creatures began to appear, and treated him with such obvious reverence, and chirped at her eagerly too. She wasn't sure what to think of it, on one hand they were vicious beasts capable of great violence as she had seen from the remains of the beast near Gem's cavern, and on another hand they never as much as hissed angrily at her, instead fetching her bits of meat when she was hungry, and now keeping watch over her safety.

It was strange how it began to feel so comfortable around them and Dain already. Ever since she had tasted the strange purple substance on the ground, back when she was hungry enough to eat dirt if it would keep her alive, she had been feeling a sense of calm around the hatchery. It seemed to have a heartbeat of some sort, a throb within it, full of life waiting to take shape.

Dain called it a hatchery, and these creatures the zerg, or the swarm. Called them his, and her family. She hadn't believed it at first, she wasn't related to monsters, but thinking about it during her solitude she had come to terms with it. The zerg were adoptive family that protected her and Dain now. Strange beasts that shared a connection with Dain.

They seemed to instinctively know what she needed, even giving her privacy when she went to bathe at the stream. Though she didn't quite trust the flying creature, it seemed to be keeping an eye on her, even if it had not followed her to the stream she had heard the zerglings patrolling the other side of the stream, keeping a lookout so nothing would attack her during that time. It seemed to guide the zerglings, Dain's hounds.

Then there was the matter of what Gem had told her. The worries she expressed on him being connected with the beasts so. Gem seemed to be afraid of the zerg, and to some extent of Dain. Vera had tried to calm her down, describing how they had been behaving earlier, like eager pets. Minor beasts that had no intent on causing harm. Yet it was hard to think of them as minor beasts, seeing how deadly they could be too.

Somewhere along the line, Vera's view of things had changed. There was a sudden chirp and she turned to look at one of the zerglings. She heard the voice again, but the zergling's jaw was clearly shut. It was then that she realized the voice seemed to be in her head, a curious thing. It should have scared her but in a way, it was oddly comforting.

The zergling seemed to sense her brooding mood and ran up the hatchery's side, resting its head on her legs. Despite its fearsome jaw and its scythe-like arms, she reached down to pet its head. The message was clear, though no words were exchanged. She may have feared losing her family, but in the end, she had gained a larger one.

"How did this happen?"

She asked the zergling that didn't seem to understand her. Sighing, she thought back at all that had happened. Perhaps it was when she ate the creep on the ground. Perhaps it was simply how she had stayed so close to hatchery for so long already. Perhaps it was because of Dain, somehow. She didn't know what was the reason for it, but at the same time, she was grateful. The troubling feeling of being alone, abandoned in the world felt a distant fear now. As long as the swarm was alive, she would never be alone.

O O Dusk of the third day of the chase O O

Vera had been dreaming when a distant echo touched her sleep. Painful shout of rage. As her eyes opened and she sat up, the zerglings around the hatchery were shrieking as well, screaming at the sky. The overlord was lowering towards her, its strange serpentine limbs wrapped together underneath it. She understood instinctively. It would carry her.

Something had happened, and she had a feeling it was serious. Dain might be injured. Four of the zerglings stayed near the hatchery, while eight of them seemed to rush off into the direction that Dain, Gem and the first group of zerglings had headed at before. She dreaded what they might find, she felt a connection to the swarm but it was fleeting, and she seemed to understand things better sometimes, and struggle with things a moment later.

Right now she felt certain of one thing. Dain needed her. The family needed her. The swarm was calling, and its sister answered. Vera was riding to battle on the overlord's arms, and as she closed her eyes she could see all the warmth on the ground below through its eyes. Just touching it, she felt a deeper understanding than before. Not words, but a meaning nonetheless.

_The family calls. We answer._

OOOOO

This is a lot shorter chapter than most so far, but I plan to continue on to the next one soon. I promised the next chapter for the weekend, this is not it, this is just something I had on my mind earlier and which picked up further pieces along the way.

I was uncertain if this should be a chapter, or an interlude, but nonetheless I hope this has shed a little light into Vera's nature, and what is going on in the background.


	8. Chapter 8: Preparations

Author's Note: I do not own Starcraft or any of the units portrayed within it. Starcraft is the property of Blizzard Entertainment, I only own my original creations. This is a work of fan fiction, existing entirely outside any canon material. This tale was inspired by reading "_The Zerg Swarm_" tale by _East Bridge._

**Chapter 8 – Preparations**

The beasts of the plains were smarter than he had expected. Dain expected to have to fight off a couple of minor beasts on the way, but the zerglings seemed to make any that were walking around in the plains keep their distance. Taller grass and a few lone trees might hide a beast or two here and there, and the few hills along the way had made him wary, but so far, they had been allowed a clear passage towards the swamp.

The dusk of the second night came as they reached the edge of the swamp, the nightfall reminding Dain of how dangerous their task would be. Zerglings could see in the dark without trouble, but he and Gem were at a disadvantage. His eyesight might have become better since he became the Patriarch, but he was still mostly human, at least he believed so.

"We should pause here for tonight and catch up with them tomorrow or the day after. Can you use your power to locate them?"

Gem nod her head and became silent. She reached a hand towards the forest, holding her palm out and fingers straight, as if she was pressing her hand against an invisible wall. Waiting quietly as she focused to her task, Dain mentally instructed four of the zerglings to search their immediate surroundings for any possible threats and shelter. It still took a little effort to give these commands without speaking, but he was getting better at it, that much was certain.

"They are two days away. Over half way across the swamp. They have been moving slow though, in the last two days I think they might be lost, or hurt."

"We are going to find out when we reach them. We'll have to cover a lot of dangerous ground though. Keep yourself alert."

Something was bothering Dain though, watching Gem's movement along the path to the swamp as he walked on ahead, borrowing the scouting abilities of the zerg to know where it was safe to walk on. He was not able to run like the zerglings and be aware enough to avoid trouble, but they'd make progress faster than their foes given their scouts finding out 'dead ends' for them ahead of time and arranging paths in their own ways. Rotten old logs made suitable stepping stones for a moment at least, after all.

"I have been meaning to ask, if a Hound scared you into a cavern like that, why are you all the way out here after the foes alone?"

The question seemed to be one that Gem was hard pressed to answer, hesitating visibly for a moment. Waiting for her to be ready, Dain heard the zerglings voices in his mind. Feeling the dangerous spots. There were a few beasts, but they were still resting. They might wake up soon enough when it became night, though. Getting a straight answer without Vera around seemed more important than hurrying though.

"There are some safe locations where beasts do not normally roam in big numbers. There are places where they gather and build up in strength. There's old ruins that hint of the ages past, before the great cities declared themselves independent from the Skygate city's rule. While Skygate is still powerful, the way the cities became independent hurt their efforts to study all the ruins. My former master had managed to acquire many of these tomes and studied them. Wanting to find the reasons behind the beast migrations. Why some regions are safe with only weak minor beasts in them and why some are never without at least a few greater beasts about. Why some regions can be deadly at one time of the year, and safe all the others. How the decades-long journeys of some beasts bring them to a path leading to a city, or a small town."

The horrors of such nights were well remembered, but usually people just thought of them as old wives tales meant to scare children into behaving and not heading outside the walls of their communities without strong allies. Dain and Vera had lived in a region that was experiencing years lasting peace, but before their birth their father, a great hero the way the people had talked of him, had fought a beast rampage, slaying their apparent leader, scattering the rest of the beasts.

"So the research contains information about the beasts and their locations? I am not sure how it would be worth killing for."

The way she shook her head made him feel she was still holding out on him. Narrowing his eyes, he waited a moment, letting her decide for herself if she was willing to trust in him with that. He needed her help to track his mother, and so he had volunteered to help her out. Besides, Vera was glad to see another soul, he figured that it was awkward for his poor sister with just her brother in the wilderness anyway.

"There's recordings of devices once used to tame and control some of the beasts. The powerful secrets of the people that legends say created these beasts, before the legendary beasts turned on their masters, and shattered their seat of power. My master believed that some of these devices and information on the beasts creation might still exist, and that its real. The notes lead towards something the master sought through a whole lifetime. The location of the Khaydarin crystals."

The word made Dain tense. According to the lore that Daniel had learned in his past life, Khaydarin crystals were linked with the Xel'naga, and more recently the Protoss. The creators of life, originally consumed by the Swarm, or so it was believed. The Protoss in turn being a very effective foe of the swarm, and a direct threat to his continued existence if they did roam these lands.

"It still doesn't answer why you headed out alone after them like this. You could have died and nobody would know, or you might have ended up with a collar around your neck and on your knees at some slave market." His tone was somewhat angry, before she shook her head.

"I was armed with a few spells from the start, and I could avoid beasts for most part, but being surprised I was cut and though I could mask my presence from the beasts normally, blood makes it easier for them to track anyone. Why do you think female hunters are forbidden to join the hunt on some days?"

The question was blunt and a bit awkward. Daniel might have blushed at it, and original Dain might have as well. Having become pat of the swarm had changed him somewhat though, and the only reaction he showed to her words was raising his brow somewhat. Some things were best left unsaid.

"Makes sense, though you didn't need to give me an example. Alright, what about the thieves, you planned for a way to deal with them too, didn't you?"

"I do. I have a few particularly nasty spells in store for them but both take a moment to cast when I have a line of sight. I originally intended to use other magic to get close to them when they paused to rest and attack by surprise. Unleash something that would tear them apart, and staying aside until it was over. I doubt they would be able to survive it, but the flaw in that is that the effect takes a moment to build up and in that meanwhile I might be exposed to harm. I don't have, if you can call it that, any fast attack spells."

It made sense that adepts were born in more numbers than mystics. The adepts were capable in ways that normal people could only envy, fighting even bare handed against beasts of minor or lesser rank at times, though they all seemed to take up their own unique traits along the way. The stronger adepts might even forge new towns that might grow and prosper into cities, though that was probably an exaggeration.

Mystics had more versatile, broad abilities but what they had in their abilities to affect the world they lacked in more direct encounter abilities. Stronger mystics were capable of some scary things, calling down lightning from the clouds to strike at foes on the ground, and some might cause the earth itself to crack open and swallow either the feet of their foe or the whole foe.

Dain was reasonably sure though that Gem's abilities were limited quite a distance beneath it. Still, he was somewhat concerned at her mention of some power that she intended to simply set loose. He wasn't sure he enjoyed the thought of that, especially if his zerglings would be caught in the mix. He'd have to be sure to get his zerglings out to safety in time, without leading the foes out of the area of effect too.

Of course, it all depended on just how much he'd really trust her. Something about a woman that refused to show her face made him feel a little wariness, but again he admitted to himself that getting her as an ally would aid him greatly. Both in locating his mother, and building the future.

He had already decided that there was no future in the broken remnants of their old settlement. It had actually died years ago, when the last of the truly capable individuals began to leave or die off. Without adepts or mystics, it was just waiting for a beast attack or raider strike to finish it off. Not seeing that and living casually from day to day had cost him dearly already.

"Dain? Are you okay?"

Gem's voice broke him out of his thoughts and he shook his head. She had been truthful about things so far. He'd try and afford her the same courtesy. Although he was fairly sure she'd not like all of it.

"I'm not entirely sure about your plan, using something that sounds like you have no control over it might endanger my zerglings too. If you use it, let me have a warning in time so I can pull the zerglings back and out of it before it goes off. I'll also keep my distance personally, if I can."

Drawing a breath, he saw her about to answer to him but raised his hand to silence her. He wasn't finished. The next words might be ones that he'd regret later, but they had to be spoken.

"I am aiding you in recovering what is stolen, and destroying those thieves, but I am not doing this out of the goodness of my heart. I want your help in finding my mother, both for my sister's sake and my own. I hope the notes are worth it, because it may take a while for you to fulfill your part of this. Swear me by your name that you will do your part and help me reunite my family."

He didn't need to see past her mask to know she wasn't exactly pleased at his words, but Gem nod her head, her eyes closing behind the mask as she spoke, with a strong, firm voice, bordering on anger. Though she sounded angry, he had a feeling it was sincere. She was either a better actor than he was a judge of character, or she had a sense of duty that would make her fulfill her own part.

"If being your mercenary is what it costs me to retain your services for this mission, so be it. I, Gem of Ravenrock, swear by my name, and my hearthstone, that I will aid you in your search for your family with all the resources at my disposal and my skill."

Nodding to her satisfied, Dain tensed up as one of the zerglings shrieked a warning to his mind. Turning his head towards the swamp, he grimaced. Seeing through the eyes of the zergling would have taken too much time and concentration now, but he had a general image of the beast approaching. Taller than he and Gem would have been if one of them was standing on another's shoulders, this was certainly no minor beast, possibly not even a lesser beast.

"We have been spotted, and one of the foes is coming right this way."

His words were met with a cuss as Gem shivered. Looking at him, Dain wondered briefly if it was fear or what, but then she spoke. The words she had to say reminded him of how she got in trouble in the first place, and hoped quietly history would not repeat itself.

"My bandages would have needed changing after all that running, I think the wound is leaking some blood again."

Wonderful. Blood attracted these things like sharks in the water. No wonder they had been detected from a distance. The zerglings were already gathering and rushing in to strike at the beast when the time would be right, but in the meanwhile, Dain knew that it would take more than six zerglings to bring this down.

Slamming a tree in two like snapping a twig, a large black-shaded creature trampled the bushes and reeds in its way, the hoofs leaving deep imprints into the soft, wet soil. Wicked pair of horns atop its head pushed forth like a pair of lances, an additional pair curving around the sides of its head, and like a crown, a ridge of spikes ran around its skull.

"Gorgon."

He hissed angrily, grimacing at the thought. Minor beasts were a nuisance to zerglings, but they could still cause harm. Lesser beast he might have been able to fight with some harm and possibly some losses, he figured it would just demand strategy. What he faced here was a beast that had control over its own magical energies and a measure of intellect that made it a dangerous foe.

"Stay behind me." He told her, raising his arm. His nerves flared as if touching a flame, his skin toughening, forming a thicker carapace, gauntlets of armored flesh so to speak. It burnt some of his innate energies, but borrowing the light armor carapace of his zerglings he gave himself something tougher than mere human skin to protect himself with.

The beast let out a bellowing shout, snorting a green vapor at him and Gem. He immediately knew what it was, seeing its effects on the vegetation touched. Corrosive acid. This damn beast would not be a fun thing to fight.

"Shit!" He pulled on Gem's arm, causing her to shout in pain as he yanked her along and out of the way, as the beast's breath flowed over where they had been a moment ago. Slow enough to dodge but the green vapor was still an additional threat to him and the zerglings.

Shrieks of anger rose up as a pair of zerglings leaped on the gorgon's sides, rushing up on its back and clawing at its hide. The tough, scaled skin looking like the zerglings were pounding on stone. Dain had to wonder if it would take an ultralisk to impale this thing properly. Not good, not good at all.

"This day just keeps getting better and better."

OOOOOO

I mentioned it in the original story's thread that I'd like to do my own version of this tale. It has began at similar situation yet with some diverging lines already. I originally planned the similarities to end around the 10th chapter mark, diverging around there. The chapter contents have since then began to shift somewhat. We'll see, but I do have my own plans, and though I am grateful to East Bridge for the original idea of this, I do not want to make the story exactly like his in the long run.

I did follow the same basic starting steps, and I believe I am not the only one at that. However, its a work in progress, and a lot is still left to be witnessed. Many surprises, and I'm hoping many moments of amusement for those who read this tale. I aim to entertain and to improve as things go. Hopefully, I'll reach a stage where I'll be able to start up a new story with the lessons learned here in mind. This is my learning experience.

As for the criticism towards the characters, that's understandable. I look at my original 1st chapter and 2nd chapter, comparing them to the 6th and 7th and there's a clear change. I might need to rewrite the whole tale at some point, but I am telling the story as it goes here, and adding pieces for people to read as it progresses. You are free to reject my tale if you find it boring you. However, I intend to keep writing, seek to improve as things go, and accept criticism for what it is.

All in all I am a little surprised there's as many reading this as there are, I expected to maybe get attention of some 2-4 people, but just goes to show there are fun surprises and there are sad surprises. I'll keep on writing, so please keep on reviewing.

To those who find a lot to dislike in this story, I am sorry if it offends you or makes you uncomfortable. I'm not doing this for everyone else though, I'm doing it because I like writing and I enjoy changing the tale a little along the lines of other people who may enjoy reading it and give me good ideas and answers. I cannot please everyone, and I won't even try, but I am still glad to see what people do think.

On the mention of the brother-sister bond being a touch too close, yes again my own failures at portraying the characters properly, though the Zerg Swarm's effect on the two siblings has been lingering in the background for a fair while now. I am not planning to write an incest-story, so I'll hope that fear is laid to rest at least. Romance is a theme intended to arise later, but its not a major part for the beginning.


	9. Chapter 9: Gem

Author's Note: I do not own Starcraft or any of the units portrayed within it. Starcraft is the property of Blizzard Entertainment, I only own my original creations. This is a work of fan fiction, existing entirely outside any canon material. This tale was inspired by reading "_The Zerg Swarm_" tale by _East Bridge._

**Chapter 9 – Gem**

"Just get it to hold still for a moment!"

Gem knew she could as well have asked for the moon from the sky, the demand was a lot to ask. She had no choice though, although Dain apparently knew how to deflect a few strikes with those bizarre bracers he had summoned upon him they were being shredded a little more by each strike by those bony blades the gorgon called horns. Yet the mere fact he was fighting it up close seemed to make it hesitate about using its acid breath.

The battle had went on less than a minute but the zerglings had torn its tongue out the next moment it opened its jaw to breathe acid, an evidently painful blow that had it screeching and snapping down on a scythe blade of that particular zergling. Those little beasts were tearing at its hide with little or no effect at all, but at least their fighting was distracting it. Thing was, it kept jumping back and forth to trample someone or to gore them with its horns.

"Just be quick about it!"

Dain's shout was angry, or perhaps just plain tense but Gem knew that there was a good reason for it. One of the zerglings had been a little too slow, it had tried to torn at the beast's tendons on Dain's orders, and it got its head stepped on. Poor little thing didn't have a chance with that kind of weight stomping down on it.

Focusing her mind Gem felt a chill over her body, her feet firmly planted on the ground and her arms stretched out towards the sky she began her chant. It was not her speciality, combat magic wasn't her primary or even secondary focus, but a mere tertiary addition. Something that she had been taught but which was slow and clumsy for her. Of course, slow and clumsy didn't matter if you had a foe that was pinned in place, especially when that slow attack came with full force.

"Spirits of the Sky rise to my call, let your anger from the heavens fall, see my foe and use my eyes, bring forth lightning so it dies!"

Clumsy and lengthy as her words were, she could feel the build-up of power in the sky, and the drain on her own body. As a mystic she had a measure of stamina that allowed her to keep going sometimes when a normal person would have collapsed, the magical reservoir of power building up within her with every heartbeat bringing more, trickling down to build up.

She drew deeply from that fountain, drained much of it but seeking to leave a little to deal with their other foe. Gem knew it would likely be a case of one chance with this beast. It was strong against physical attacks, so a magical one might catch it off guard. She hoped so at least, there was no guarantee.

The heat built in her hands and she lowered one to gesture at the beast, shouting a warning as she felt the surge in her. She had forgotten about that part, and though Dain might be dangerous to her people one day, right now she needed him. So she shouted as loud as she could, holding the power in the sky a few seconds longer.

"Move back, now!"

Dain and the zerglings leaped away from the gorgon that snorted and turned to give chase, but just then the sky flashed and a bolt of lightning crossed the sky striking a tree in its path shattering it to dozens of pieces and setting it on fire, and the end of the bolt piercing through the gorgon with a horrifying scream rising to the sky along with the smell of burnt meat.

The Gorgon stumbled onto its side, panting, the lightning had stunned it but amazingly it was still alive. It could only be an innate resistance to magic, but not as strong as the physical armor against scales. That didn't help as much now either, since it was laying down exposing its stomach, and with its jaw open exposing both its sharp teeth, but also the soft flesh inside the beast.

"Rip it to shreds!"

Dain's shout came out loud, and the beast let out a shout just as the remaining zerglings swarmed it. Unable to move out of the way and without being able to turn its scaly hide towards its foes shielding its underside the beast's body was being torn into little by little, its stomach was softer than the rest but still resilient to cuts. Another zergling drove its blade through the beasts' open mouth though, and based on the jerking and trashing it did on the ground the blade pierced into the Gorgon's skull.

"Now lets just hope our enemies didn't see that pillar of light striking down into the swamp and realize they are being chased."

Dain's words were surprisingly cruel. Gem did know it was a risk putting so much power to her spell, but at the same time she wasn't exactly a talented, subtle caster with combat magic, and even with the raw force behind the spell it wasn't enough to kill the thing. If it had expected it, the spell might actually not have even stunned it. Combination of fatigue from physical combat and surprise of an unexpected spell hitting it so, while it was standing on the wet swamp soil all helped her deliver it a nastier shock than she might have expected to get elsewhere. All that, and it still wasn't enough.

"I didn't really have a choice now did I ? You and your creatures were not going to win on your own. I took a chance and if you think I am not worried about the enemies ahead you are a fool."

Gem frowned and turned away, feeling slighted by Dain's words. He was a strange man, he did not seem to have a magic similar to hers within him but controlling those small beasts, those zerglings seemed to give him an advantage certainly. The 'summoning' had given him some kind of hardened bracers that had been worn down trying to simply deflect blows by those sharpened horns earlier. There was also the way he had reacted when the crystals were mentioned before.

There was more to him than she knew, and it made her worry. The people of her city would likely view him as a threat too, but she did feel that she owed him for his help already. She'd need to repay her debt, at least unless he began to attack humans. If he did that, she'd have to turn on him herself. The thieves did not count, but seeing the way the zerglings were now butchering the dangerous gorgon in its stunned state, she shivered to think about what else he might control. Dain's sister had mentioned she hadn't seen the flying creature before, so Dain might have more surprises in store too.

She wasn't really happy with the situation, but she needed him for now. She also needed a break away from him, Sighing deeply she touched the mask on her face, turning to look at him.

"Lets keep moving."

She wanted to pause. To change her bandages, to bathe in some clean waters, to make sure she had a chance to build up her power again, but she also knew the first rule of surviving on prime. Don't stay in a place reeking strongly of blood too long. The other beasts of the swamp would come around soon enough, and if they had any luck they would ignore her and Dain while there was already dead prey to be had.

Lot of the beasts were predators, but even they could appreciate a ready meal from what she had seen, at least when it was fresh. Some of the lesser beasts were scavengers from what she had heard and learned but even so, they were not above killing a creature and leaving it to rot for a short while either. Some of them actually seemed to prefer their food so aged.

"You know, you did good, you hit the beast strong enough to stop it. You are powerful, and I didn't mean to sound like I don't appreciate it. I am just concerned because the longer we take with this the longer it will be before I can focus on locating my family again."

Dain's words made her hesitate, and want to tell him it would all turn out right in the end. She didn't want to give him false hopes though. Prime was a savage world, and weakened, bleeding slaves might attract beasts on the whole slave-caravan. If they arrived to their destination, his mother might end up worked to death. If she resembled her daughter and had similar, attractive look about her she might also end up pregnant at some point, something she felt fairly sure would enrage Dain even more.

So she said nothing, instead smiling at him, only to then remember he could not see her face. She wasn't willing to show her face to him yet, but sometimes she forgot the mask was there, and it took her a moment to realize he couldn't see her reactions from her expression because of it. It would have been easier to just take it off, but at the same time she knew she could not. Not until this task was completed.

O O The next evening O O

Gem had taken a moment to change the bandages when she and Dain had been given a chance to pause for a while, but since she couldn't be sure that Dain wouldn't look she had moved a little away from their campsite. She wasn't happy changing bandages at a swamp, she knew the place had a reputation for being a source of many plagues and curses, but there was little options, leaving dirty bandages on for too long would likely be even worse.

"Its odd."

Dain's words made her lift her head and look at him. There was a serious look on his face and she raised her brow somewhat, waiting for him to continue. It took a couple seconds, but finally he did.

"The campsite we stopped at had been used earlier. There isn't that much firm, dry ground here, and there was a stone circle with ashes at the middle, a clear enough sign of campfire. It was warm when we arrived. You said our foes would be a lot further off didn't you?"

The question surprised Gem, but she thought back at their last pause. She hadn't given it much thought since one of the old paths did go through the swamp, even though it was dangerous it was also a quick route to another city for someone that didn't want to try crossing mountains.

"I can do a new casting if you prefer."

Gem's offer was met with a simple nod. The closer to their foe they got, the more tense they both must have felt. Closing her eyes and focusing her mind on the pages, imagining them in her eyes again and touching part of a page wrapped around one of her arms under her robe she silently whispered the chant. Touching the soil beneath her in a kneeling position, she sought to find them, try and reach them with a more focused divination now that they were a little closer at least.

What she found surprised her, and alarmed her immediately. Rather than sensing the pages and three thugs, he could feel the pages where they had been last day too, but foes closing in on them fast. They had been in touch with the pages and the spell's resonance could be felt in them too, a faint echo but definitely closing in.

"They're coming back, headed this way. They'll be here in mere minutes."

The words had Dain tense up as well, as he seemed to order his zerglings without speaking, their movement too coordinated for it to have been a coincidence. She was feeling more and more certain that there was a connection between them and Dain. Such a connection would be dangerous, though.

"Dain? What are you going to do?"

She didn't get an answer, instead Dain gestured behind her at a pair of trees standing so close to one another they actually provided enough cover for a person to hide behind them, if the foes were coming from the direction that Dain and Gem had been heading to earlier. She frowned somewhat but headed back to the trees to take cover. The foe should not have been close enough to hear them yet, but with Dain acting this way, she figured it was going to be easier to talk to him once the situation was over rather than argue when they were about to get attacked.

Moving to cover she grimaced at the feel of drain within her. The tiredness that came from using the magic she was less familiar with made her uncomfortable. Not that she would have wanted to leave the fight to just Dain and the zerglings either. They might be strong against some foes, but obviously they too had their limits, and a heavily armored beast like the Gorgon was simply too much for them to take on alone.

The wait did not turn out to be a long one, the group of dark-clothed men bursting out of the dark. It was then that Gem noticed the last one of their group was actually a woman, and a woman who had adept's power coursing through her. Stronger than the mystic's blood in her. Grimacing, she wanted to warn Dain, but it was too late to shout if she wanted to keep her own presence secret.

"Hold right there, and identify yourselves!"

Dain's shout was met with a paused glance by the men. The first of them drew a blade and charged, thrusting it ahead. Dain had sidestepped just in time and struck up with an arm rising so it slammed into the man's throat, and the rest of the arm squeezed up around the man's neck. Sharp jerk of his arm caused a crack that made Gem shiver a little uncomfortably as she watched the dead thief drop onto the ground lifeless with a broken neck.

"You will answer me or perish here this day."

Dain's words were spoken seriously, as he watched those two that remained, the zerglings no doubt ready to leap in as necessary. Facing the two that still held their place Dain seemed more threatening somehow, but if the Adept read his presence the same way that Gem had used, not feeling either Adept or Mystic powers about him, they might well dismiss him as a threat.

"I do not know who you are or why you think you are entitled to know about us, but you killed my friend and for that reason alone you will die!"

The woman stepped ahead and Gem grimaced. So much for getting answers out of these idiots. However, as she looked ready to leap in a shriek rose from all around them, and a zergling dropped out of the tree branches above to slam the other man down on the ground helpless, a pair of zerglings dashing in from the sides towards the woman. As she looked to the sides, Dain advanced in a fast step and struck her with a wild punch in the jaw.

Gem was a bit surprised at how fast the two of them had been struck down, but then again, they both had a pair of scythe blades over their necks. Not exactly a position from which you rose to fight in anymore, the adept might have handled one zergling even from such a position on her back on the ground after the surprise punch, but two zerglings likely left her facing a too great risk of being cut lethally too even if she did manage to kill the zerglings.

"I'm asking you one more time then. Who are you, and what are you doing here? Answer me, or I'll leave you to _my _beasts."

Dain's voice was cold as he addressed the two surviving thieves. The way he had handled the whole matter had made Gem a bit worried. That kind of confidence and executing a plan like that with such timing suggested he was in touch with the beasts in ways that made him a real, serious threat. She wasn't sure if Dain would turn on other humans later too. These were thieves and murderers, but Dain hadn't seemed to hesitate to just break a man's neck a moment ago or holding two more lives under threat now.

"I'm Sala-Aden, and this is Jie-Aden, and we were tasked with entering a ruin of the forefathers, but we unleashed something, I did not think the guardians would still be alive. We were fleeing from them and we still should be."

It was then when his last zergling screeched somewhere ahead and Dain's body jerked swiftly. Crackling of thunder could be heard further off on the road. Icy glare of glowing eyes emerged from among the bushes and branches.

"Protoss!?"

Dain's shout went from surprised to shocked towards the end, but Gem could understand why a mere instant later. Four grey-skinned figures wearing some kind of gold-shaded gear charged ahead, and blades of brilliant energy seemed to slash and thrust ahead. Her eyes were widened as she witnessed the zerglings impaled, sliced into pieces, the blades driven down on the already captured thieves, and the last of the protoss attacking Dain who tried to protect himself. The young man's arm cut right where the zergling-skin bracers had been in the last fight. The arm was cut cleanly in half, the hand flying in the air, but Dain hadn't got a moment to scream.

They drove that blade deep into his chest, and twisted it. They had killed him. They had killed Dain right in front of her eyes. Gem fought back a scream that was welling up within her to not alarm them of her presence, trembling with fear as she quietly mouthed the words of the spell. She would destroy them all if she had to, hoping the notes were indeed left somewhere ahead like her own spell had suggested earlier. She wanted to be rid of these monsters, these _protoss _that had killed him.

It was the only way she'd survive too. She recalled old manuscripts about the ones that sought to control the beasts long ago, but the word Protoss was not familiar to her, but those blades, those strange suits, could it be they were indeed the ones that sought to control it all so long ago? Not that it mattered right now. She had to live, to survive.

OOOOOO

It has been a good while since I made my last post. I had to rewrite a few times, making alterations and dealing with real life this time around. I hope the new chapter is worth the wait at least, the next one should bring things together again, Dain's sister Vera arriving to the scene and what took place with Gem after this, and answering some more questions.

I'm considering working on another story too, splitting my attention between 2 in order to keep from getting bored with either. Besides, it would permit me to work on another idea I have had on my mind recently. It ought to also help keep up interest with this, but if there's a strong opposition to that thought, I can keep just focused on one, for now.

As for the recent accusations of copying East-Bridges, this story bases on the same idea, and I have said the start follows in his footsteps, the diverging points are set along the path and will start showing up. Accusations don't really encourage me to write more, but I do realize some of them may be trolling, and others genuinely see no real difference between this and the original thread.

I'm going to keep writing, but if its bad, you don't have to read it. Telling me this is going to get removed and so forth is just making me raise a brow. I'll make this clear, if _East Bridges_ felt I was copying the original story too much, and told me this, I would remove this story -immediately-. Anyone else is free to complain, but that won't really do anything.

Now as for the constructive criticism, I appreciate that, as much as I love praise I also want to improve and I am always grateful to hear not only what I did right but what I did wrong. I hope to entertain and that people will delight in the read.

I'll hope the next update is ready faster than this one was, but we'll see.

Looking forward particularly to how LLC and Kane react, I'm still trying to get used to figuring out a few replies from people that have joined along later on, but I always appreciate thoughts and comments that make sense.

There's a couple paths this might diverge into at the time.

a) Patriarch temporarily sealed away from his own body, to control the swarm as the mind within it,

b) Vera taking his place for now, while he recovers

c) Zerg recovery proves stronger than the damage done by Zerg psiblades.

Anyhow, time to post this up, and hope you'll let me hear your thoughts.


	10. Chapter 10: Hivemind

Author's Note: I do not own Starcraft or any of the units portrayed within it. Starcraft is the property of Blizzard Entertainment, I only own my original creations. This is a work of fan fiction, existing entirely outside any canon material. This tale was inspired by reading "_The Zerg Swarm_" tale by _East Bridge._

**Chapter 10 – Hive-mind**

Dain felt the searing pain flash through his body, his mind almost shattering. His heartbeat no longer sounded out in his ears, and the pain was overwhelming him. He was afraid, and he was hurt, and above all he felt like he was about to break. It was like he was plummeting down from a dark sky towards a cold ocean of black waves beneath. Hitting the waves, he fainted.

When he awoke again, there was a strong heartbeat again, but it was not the same as before. It was not his heart. He tried to open his eyes, but instead was greeted by a dozen different views of the world around him, and a blinding headache. He closed off his senses for a moment, but then carefully tried to open himself to them again, like a man who had spent too long in a dark room suddenly entering a brightly lit corridor, he barely peeked beneath his eyelashes, or at least that was the only way he could describe it to himself at the time. Trying to get used to the sensations without diving in to the deep end of it all.

Zerglings, the overlord, and the hatchery. He felt he could sense them all, and when he reached out to each individual mind, it was like a cooing puppy begging for attention, eager to please. The overlord was watching over the hatchery while the dozen zerglings were all protecting the perimeter. The two drones he had were both dragging pieces of meat from a beast towards the hatchery.

When he tried to figure out why, a voice reached out to him. He recognized the overlord's calm tone immediately, but at the same time, it was different. Instead of mere words, they were exchanging concepts, pure thoughts, and while Dain had barely considered the question the overlord had told him all that had happened since he was struck down.

The whole swarm had felt it when he was struck down. His body contained a vast amount of energy, and though he had spent most of it, his body had been able to cannibalize some parts of him to sustain the important body functions, even while severed into pieces, so that his body could be recovered. Vera and Gem had brought him back to the hatchery, and the overlord had been preparing him a chrysalis to allow his physical form to recover. In the meanwhile, his mind, his very soul had reawakened apart from the body, now in pure flow of the hive-mind which recognized him intuitively as the patriarch, the unquestioned lord of the zerg swarm.

"_Alright, I want to know a couple of things. First, how long will it take for my body to recover, and second, how much bio-energy does the swarm now have?"_

"_I am afraid I cannot say about the first, your body is unique even among the swarm, one of a kind. It will take as long as it takes, infusing it with additional bio-energy or vital essence would certainly accelerate things, but its likely to also trigger an evolution in your form. As for the second question, you should be able to see all you wish by focusing on the hatchery for a moment."_

Dain considered the answer, then turning his mind towards the hatchery, and trying to recall how he had created that mental image of a book earlier to give himself the information he needed. It was one way to interpret things, while his mind was still recovering. Right now, he was part of the hive-mind in a way he had never really dreamed of so it became a little different.

He simply _knew _things, just considering them. Looking at the hatchery, he felt the flow of bio-energy. The creep gathered energy from the sunlight, but also drew from minerals deep underground, and it fed on the life-force of the plants around its clearing. The trees around the creep had grown sturdier, stronger too. They had not become like the zerg, but it was obvious the creep was changing them slowly. More importantly for now though, he felt the information flow together about the bio-energy, and rearrange itself before him in the form of a document with writing that seemed to shift on its own to correct itself.

_Swarm Evolutionary Stage: Alpha_

_Swarm Bio-Energy: 232/1.000_

_Swarm Bio-Genesis: 50/cycle_

_Requirement for Evolution_

_+Evolution Chamber_

_Structures available_

_Hatchery (100be), Evolution Chamber (200be), Spawning Pit (150be), Extractor (100be)_

_Breeds available_

_Zerglings (2be), Drone (2be), Overlord (5be)_

Dain considered his options silently. He could feel the swarm he currently commanded numbered a total of twelve zerglings, two drones, and his overlord. Not exactly a large gathering, but it was still at least something. He was far from being ready to fight the protoss, if even zealots were that dangerous though. He also noted how much energy had built up in his absence. There had been two full days for it to build while he and Gem had been chasing after the thieves, which meant he had been out of the picture for at least two full days, and over half of a third one. Not a pleasant thought.

Focusing on one of his drones, he issued it a mental command quietly, instructing it to begin morphing into a spawning pit near the hatchery, and instruction the other one to prepare to begin its morphing into an extractor as soon as there was enough resources available for it. He had a feeling that he'd need to up his game fast, and he knew he'd need both faster resource generation and more warriors for the swarm.

He quietly regretted having allowed his zerglings to die in combat with the protoss however. He had lead them into a mission where they no doubt knew they could die any moment, but Dain had honestly wanted to bring them all back if it was possible. He was a realist and knew it might not happen on Prime, but he had at least hoped it had been possible.

"_Do not worry Patriarch, each and every member of the Swarm would happily give their lives for you over and over. Your lost warriors await eagerly to be reborn."_

"_You mean they are still alive?"_

"_Yes. Nobody that is part of the hive-mind can ever truly die as long as their psychic imprint remains. You may not be able to talk to them while they lack a body, but they are still there, dreaming."_

"_Then I shall swear that they will be the first to rise again when I call for more zerglings. We need to evolve before that. How about my sister, and Gem?"_

The question that Dain asked was met with a view through one of his zergling's eyes. Tearing apart a large hound's guts the zergling was handing pieces of flesh to a few other zerglings that passed them on towards the hive. He could hear Vera's annoyed tone of voice too.

"I don't get it, why did those two stronger creatures rush off like that? You, don't pretend to hold it with one claw! And you, bug bite, don't make me come there! Carry that meat to the hatchery so it can be salted and stored!"

Dain was about to burst to a laughter at the way his zerglings were meekly carrying meat towards the hatchery. Gem in turn seemed to be applying some salt to it and storing it to a small pit in the creep not far away, which the overlord seemed to be watching over. Dain could immediately sense the temperature in that pit was several degrees below the freezing point. There was some frost on parts of the meat. Ingenious, he had to admit. He wasn't sure how they had done it, but it looked like food would not be a problem for a while.

Although based on the look on Vera's annoyed face, the taste was going to be something that she and Gem might be complaining. Neither was really complaining out loud though, rather they seemed to have settled to the strange life. There was a tent set up near the edge of his creep-blanket, looking to be formed by skinned hides. Big enough for two at least.

"_Why do the zerglings obey my sister so?"_

"_They know she is part of the swarm, part of the family. She may not have a presence in the hive-mind but she whispers to it with her mind, and it whispers to her. I believe she may be one of the psychics of this world. Similar to how the other female is, but her mind is a prison crafted by the restrictions of this world."_

"_What do you mean? A prison, restrictions?"_

"_Primitive use of psychic energy adds symbolism and meanings to it. They have become a crutch they rely on. They are more confident in their abilities because they believe they will work when they follow the instructions they have, but without them, their own confidence falters and they fail. The less confident they are, the less talented innately, the harder it is for them to affect anything. Some of them are able to harness it innately, change their body to be capable of otherwise impossible tricks. Others in turn focus on affecting the world around them, but to learn something like that they have had to narrow their view and explain it to themselves in a way that has first helped, and then hindered their progress."_

While Dain wasn't entirely sure he understood the overlord, or that its explanation was entirely accurate either, he felt he got the main thing about it. The magic that this world used was just a very restricted, specified and ritualized use of psionic energy. With that many psychics in this world, and khaydarin crystals, he couldn't help but wonder if this was a Xel-Naga test or some natural occurrence. The Protoss had evolved in a world where there was massive khaydarin crystal deposits, and that had gifted them immense psychic powers. Of course, the Xel-Naga were to be blamed both for engineering the Protoss that way and perhaps for implanting their world with that amount of those crystals, but still, it was strange but possibly important bit of news.

He wasn't sure what to think of the way the overlord sounded so intelligent though. If the overlords were that smart, what did that suggest about the queens, or the cerebrates? If he dared to create one eventually, would they too become this intelligent or outright geniuses? That would make it difficult for him to control them. Then again, perhaps his own mind would surpass some limitations along time and further evolutions. The temptation was certainly there to allow the swarm to improve him just a little further. All in the interest of staying alive, especially now that protoss were here too.

"_How long will it take until the spawning pit finishes its morphing?"_

"_Approximately a day and a half."_

It was very fast by human standards, but it still took a good while. Dain was not sure he had all that time to wait around, but he also could not allow himself to be caught off-guard. He'd need to improve his swarm, increase his numbers, and prepare for all that lay in the horizon. The first contact with the people of Prime. The encounters with the beasts. The protoss that now roamed the land.

Gem wasn't telling everything either. He had spent a fair share of time running with her in the last few days, and it left an impression on him that she kept things from her. While she intrigued him, he also found himself a little suspicious of her motives. At least he felt confident he could trust in his sisters. She was part of the family, after all.

OOOOOO

I looked at what questions had been brought up and what thoughts expressed earlier. Presently I am leaning quite heavily towards the choice (a) from the earlier list. Dain's going to remain as a spirit in the hive-mind for now. As for the (b) I am thinking of making the second chapter be about Vera in turn, unless there's objection towards it. As for Gem, there's going to be a small pause before I write more on her perspective.

Few things worth noticing: Dain and Gem could not recover the research notes Gem was after, but the thieves were being chased by the protoss, so retrieving them might have been difficult. Gem's motives and thoughts are presently not seen much I suppose, but hopefully they'll become more clear in time.

Dain acted as he was supposed to when his personality is in question. He's a fusion of three, Daniel from 'Earth', Dain from Prime, and the Zerg. Mostly his personality has shown itself a mixture of Daniel and Dain, but who knows, I may say more of that on a later time. There's a reason I abandoned the original idea of starting this tale with Dain alone waking up at the smoking remains of their home settlement.

As for the protoss attacking him, they were murdering everyone at the scene. Gem was further back and out of immediate sight at least. Everyone the protoss saw was struck down on the spot, without any questions, without any illusion of mercy.

Now, there's a few elements I have in mind for the following chapters, but I thought I'd carry on with the idea of naming a few options, and at least seeing where the general opinion suggests leaning.

a) Romance. Its mentioned in the story start, but I haven't made it into a real part of the story at this stage. I may focus on that for a while, now or later. It will also tie into a few other matters, but best not to say too much yet.

b) Family. The swarm is, in a very real sense, a strange family. The nature of the zerg could be explored a bit further now that Dain's mind is not bound to his body, but it could also be left for now to be a mere glimpse between the proverbial eyelashes so to speak, not opening his eyes and mind to all of what it entails just yet.

c) War. Conflict is the nature of prime, whether its with beasts, rivalry between cities, or a confrontation between warriors that will not back down from a challenge. There's a lot of potential for this already, but I could focus on other themes too, or focus on this more for a while at least.

Lastly, I already uploaded this chapter once before, but I had to take it down because the first attempt at uploading was a mistake on my part. I uploaded a version without a few fixes I had done earlier, and had to replace the chapter with the actual, correct chapter quickly. My apologies for any inconvienience.


	11. Chapter 11: The Hunters, The Truth

Author's Note: I do not own Starcraft or any of the units portrayed within it. Starcraft is the property of Blizzard Entertainment, I only own my original creations. This is a work of fan fiction, existing entirely outside any canon material. This tale was inspired by reading "_The Zerg Swarm_" tale by _East Bridge._

**Chapter 11 – The Hunters, The Truth**

The hunting had been easier than Vera had anticipated. When the zerglings had brought down the first minor beast the scent had brought forth several young hounds, one at a time. Their meat might be stringy, but they still provided good meat, and six zerglings could bring down any hound without casualties. Twelve was an overkill, but Vera did not believe in fighting fairly, she had learned that much early on in her life.

"Good job, now you four, its your turn to carry food to the storage, and you four, guard the fallen foes. As for the last four of you, I want you to resume the patrol, lets keep this area clear."

The zerglings chirped and hissed, getting to work. She occasionally had to command one or two another time to make sure the orders stuck in their minds, but they seemed to be willing to please her. It was an odd comfort, but she took it happily because her brother wasn't there to hold her right now.

He was recovering, she understood that much from the overlord's voiceless presence. She had been crying over his body when the overlord's tendrils had touched her cheeks and she had seen in her mind an image of a chrysalis breaking, and Dain stepping out of it once again unharmed. She and Gem had brought him back, and since then, that same chrysalis had been growing at the blanket of purple goo near the hatchery. Growing, becoming less transparent, and heating up with a throb within it.

She was fairly sure Dain would be back among them soon, but she still preferred to be out of the camp and hunting. Gem had already mentioned going back for the research notes or returning to Ravenrock to get more people to help her out, but Vera had convinced her to stay. Although Gem seemed to be on their side, she still worried a little about allowing Gem to walk away and tell others about her and Dain and the strange creatures that had become part of her family now.

"What is it, Scar?"

She addressed one of the zerglings that had returned from the patrol quickly, and shaken her out of her thoughts. The nickname was due to the fact the zergling had survived the initial combat with a beast back when Dain aided Gem from her captivity in the cavern, one of its scythe blades far lighter in shade than the other, a visible scar tissue showing where the hound had bit it off.

The zergling kept tugging on her pant sleeve till she followed along, feeling the urgency and worry in it. She moved along swiftly as it began to run, trying to keep up. She could feel the other zerglings gathering up as well, a total of eight following her. Two more guarding their fallen foe, and the last two carrying the meat still back towards the hatchery and the storage pit.

Yet as she followed Scar through the sparse wood she soon came to see what had the zerglings so wary. There was a group of humans on the move, downhill near the stream. It was far enough that the creep did not show there but close enough for the zerglings included the area to their patrol. Men in dark leathers, carrying a brown banner with a black raven nesting on a large stone.

Ravenrock. These might be people from Gem's hometown. It might have made things easier, but right now, it was actually proving an unnecessary risk. She saw the group numbered twelve people in strength, lead by a pair of men with steel swords at their sides, the others in the group armed with fairly well fashioned but simple spears.

The zerglings faced an equal number of foes in this situation if things broke out into a fight, but after all she had seen them do, Vera was not really concerned about the ten warriors with the spears, but the two that had swords made her wonder. If they were adepts, or mystics, then things might go from bad to worse. She wondered whether or not it was possible to avoid the encounter for now.

The group seemed to be following the stream towards the location where they had found Gem earlier, and if they had similar magic to what Gem had used, then they might continue past that and towards the swamp. It wasn't certain they were after the research notes too, or if they were looking for Gem, but Vera felt more than a little uncomfortable. Too many things could go wrong with this. She wasn't afraid to approach Gem, because she was a woman too, but approaching a group of men scared her somewhat. She was well aware of what slavers might do, and there was no guarantee that Gem was from a town where there was no slavery.

One of the swordsmen stopped and looked at her direction. She wanted to step back and hide better, but at the same time she was also aware that moving might give out her location, and if the man was not aware of her yet she didn't want to make him aware just because of paranoia. Grimacing quietly she watched the scene. Silently she hoped they would just keep going. Unfortunately, that didn't happen.

The man raised a hand gesturing at her direction, speaking something to her companions. Having seen this, Vera dashed off as swiftly as she could to return to Gem, Dain, and the hatchery. She had a feeling she would be safer there than out on a patrol, especially with those people wandering around. She saw six zerglings already rushing in to follow along with her, the two others seeming to stay where they were.

Arriving to the hatchery Vera felt her legs were burning from having run all the way back, but at least she had gotten back to warn the others. The flying creature seemed to be high above them at the sky, overlooking the area from a height that seemed dizzying to her. The ten zerglings had gathered around the hatchery now, leaving only the two that had stayed behind when she started running away from the approaching group of men.

"Gem? Gem, I need to talk to you, right now!"

Her shouts were met by Gem's form stepping out from behind the hatchery, turning to face Vera. She looked tired, her hair was still tied back, and her hands showed the white salt still stuck on them. She had been doing her part of the food preparation at least.

"What is the matter, you look like you got chased up a tree by a beast."

Vera didn't find the comment very funny. Things were serious, and she wasn't even sure if she could trust in Gem entirely. She was relieved to see another woman earlier, and she enjoyed Gem's company, but something about her watching Dain made Vera a little nervous. The soldiers carrying the same symbol as the shirt under her robe only added to her suspicions, Gem had told where she came from back when Vera changed her bandages but still, it seemed a little worrying.

"There's a group of soldiers. Ten men with spears, two swordsmen, that are headed this way. I think they might have spotted me. They are carrying the symbols of black bird on a stone."

Gem's hands clenched into fists. She seemed to tense up at these news as well. That only further increased the anxiety that Vera was feeling, and she could hear the zerglings hissing as well, a feeling of anxiety building up within her. Like she had too much energy, even after all that running, she kept noticing little things easier, and something about Gem's silence made her seem all the more conspicuous.

"I haven't been entirely truthful with you and your brother."

Gem's words made Vera grit her teeth together. This was not a big surprise, but she hoped it was not a major problem. She had to hope so at least, she liked Gem's company most of the time after all. Without her, she'd have nobody to talk to, either. Not that the zerglings couldn't listen, but she had a feeling it was not going to be the same since she couldn't understand any of their words, even if she caught the meaning by emotions from time to time.

"There's no time for confession like the present. Tell me what it is, Gem. You have lived with me and my brother these past few days, don't you trust us enough to tell what it is that you are afraid of?"

With a sigh, Gem raised her hands up to her dark mask, removing a strap holding it in place. Lowering it down, her emerald green eyes looked right at Vera, her crimson hair framing her beautiful face, and the black symbol of a crescent moon under her left eye marking her as a slave. Vera knew of those markings, they were usually accompanied by another, unique marking, which also served as a proof of ownership.

"My master was not only my teacher, but my actual master. Ravenrock is a patriarchy ruled by men who cling to their power desperately. Women who display a talent are often seized as a dangerous asset to be kept under lock and key. My master convinced the lords of the city that I was barren, and that I would be of no use to them. That permitted the master to purchase me and secure my services to research for the location of the khaydarin crystals. In return, I was to acquire my freedom. I saw the will, and the documents for it. They were among the papers stolen, no doubt taken in a hurry, the thieves did not, hopefully, realize they had taken those along as well. If they did, I fear they might have used the documents to light a fire at their camp or just throwing them away out of spite. I planned to recover those and get my freedom, so I could face you two as a free woman."

Vera stared at Gem a moment but she felt no deception in Gem at that moment. She felt remorse, fear and worry, but not deception. Right now, she could have thrown Gem to those men and they would have likely left with that. If they were chasing after a _runaway slave _then they would likely be satisfied with having Gem back in their hands.

However, the words she had spoken gave a frightening image of the Ravenrock town to Vera. She had heard the towns had taken up various approaches to how people should be treated, usually your family had to include someone with a talent to be accepted into a town but some towns grew stronger by using slaves. By the sounds of it, a woman's fate in Ravenrock was not a pleasant one, and even less so if she had a talent. There was no certainty a talented woman would have a talented child, but it seemed more likely than it was with an untalented woman.

Beyond that, Gem was a beautiful woman, the red hair and the light skin together made her a little exotic but she had a sweet smile, smooth cheeks, a cute small nose and deep eyes with a soulful gaze. It confused Vera slightly why she paid such attention to Gem's face right then, but she reasoned to herself it had to just be the fact that Gem had hidden her face for so long. Still, she couldn't quite shake the feeling that Dain would've loved to be able to see it as well.

"You should not have lied to us. You should have told the entire truth. Still, we were strangers, but we accepted you into our family already earlier. It doesn't matter right now though."

Vera could see Gem's fear and worry. She did not want to be cruel to the other woman, but at the same time she felt she had put the whole hatchery area, the whole swarm into danger. She wondered passingly if the soldiers could be scared away before they came too close. She doubted it though.

"I am not going to turn you over to them however. If they come here, the swarm will protect you. I expect you to do your part though, protecting the hatchery if it comes to that."

Turning to look back at the direction of the approaching men, Vera wondered passingly just how long it would take for them to reach the hatchery. It had taken her roughly ten minutes to charge through the forest to get back to the hatchery, and she knew the terrain. It probably wouldn't take more than twice that for the soldiers to get there as well, less if they knew their way through a forest. Though the two zerglings left behind might play their delay tactics perhaps.

"Thank you, but you have done enough. I don't like the idea of going with them but I failed to get the papers that prove I am a free woman now, so I am afraid there's nothing that can be done. If they are after me they undoubtedly have two of their more experienced adepts along to subdue me. It would take an army to stop them."

Vera didn't like that bit of news but she wasn't going to fall into despair either. The zerglings around her growled at the forest's edge, a menacing, purposeful noise. They had formed a half-circle before the two women, protecting them with their lives if need be. The swarm knew who were part of its family, and the ten zerglings appeared ready for anything.

"The swarm doesn't abandon its members, Gem. We may be facing a dangerous foe but so will our enemies."

Smiling back at Gem encouragingly, Vera blinked as a brush of a gentle limb reached her cheek. The overlord had floated down close enough to touch the two of them, but as its limbs touched Vera's cheek she had a bit of a dizzy feeling. In her mind, she could see the forest from above, and amidst the light green and the distant blue shades there was the bright crimson shades similar to the hatchery, but also the distant shades of yellow and red, humans approaching their location slowly. Two zergling figures rushed back and forth near them, forcing them to keep at a slow march while trying to spot their foes.

There was additional warmth behind the hatchery, but she could only guess it was due to Dain's chrysalis there. Right now she had more pressing matters to deal with, and her time was running out. Considering what they could do, she looked up at the hatchery's surface.

"We could climb up for a better view, and you can use your magic from there. You could also run away, and we'd do the fighting here, but I would appreciate the help. I am not sure if we can win with this many, but we'll fight like demons if we have to."

Her smile was so convinced it seemed to give a measure of courage to Gem as well. Finally she sighed and nod her head in agreement. Looking at the edge of the forest and up at the flying Overlord, she spoke seriously. "Can you get up and ride in that ? I'd prefer if you kept yourself safe from the worst of things, and I think Dain would agree if he was here."

The zerglings screeched louder, and waved their scythe blades high. The time was running out. Vera saw movement in the shadows among the trees and grit her teeth together while grasping onto one of the overlord's tendrils. Her voice a mere whisper as it began to lift her up underneath it, her eyes following the movement.

"They are here."

OOOOOO

Good day to everyone. This chapter was presented from Vera's point of view but also included a few things about Gem in turn. There's a conflict looming in the distance, and this chapter's events took place almost immediately after the tenth chapter.

Conflict looms in the distance, and a little more insight to the societies on Prime has been brought up again. Insights to the Zerg mind are on schedule, but they're more likely to involve Dain's point of view, or Vera further on in the story.

As always, review and comment freely and I look forward to hearing what people are thinking. I still got inspiration going strong with this, no worries about me quitting anytime soon. I've got a couple of variations in mind though, things that would not fit into the context of this story, but I'll consider them later.

Seeing as the last choice's effects are yet to be seen, there's not going to be a new question for those reading this chapter. Questions can be asked as always. Glint of Madness, you have been commenting on the 8th and 9th chapters, I'll look forward to what you have to say about the 10th and 11th when you get this far, or perhaps the 10th chapter simply didn't have anything that you wanted to comment on? No matter, just a thought.

Zephyr, your timing with the comments was amusing enough. I posted a new chapter right around the time you were commenting on the earlier chapter. Guest, you left a fair list of thoughts though nameless as it was I cannot answer you directly, so I'll keep this short here.

The events here take place outside of Starcraft canon-universe. There's no Kerrigan, no Mar Sara in this world. Yet there are at least Protoss, Zerg, there's human-beings at least on this world but they're nowhere near the same tech-level as the Starcraft world portrays. Though they're just the folk from a single, isolated planet. What else will be shown in time, you'll have to wait and see. Also, you spotted a typo as you had guessed, I fixed it after reading your review.


	12. Chapter 12: Those who hunt Women

Author's Note: I do not own Starcraft or any of the units portrayed within it. Starcraft is the property of Blizzard Entertainment, I only own my original creations. This is a work of fan fiction, existing entirely outside any canon material. This tale was inspired by reading "_The Zerg Swarm_" tale by _East Bridge._

**Chapter 12 – Those who hunt Women**

The strange melody that the hatchery hummed to the resting larva felt oddly comforting. Dain had found living as a disembodied awareness confusing at first, and a little frightening, but little by little he was getting better at maintaining his control over all of it. The overlord provided invaluable assistance by giving him a view from the sky, and its ability to notice heat over a great distance helped Dain and his swarm a great deal.

The zerglings always knew where a threat to the hatchery was approaching. Several beasts died at their claws and jaws, the small but lethally quick warriors proving themselves worthy of being feared. He had also found it enjoyable to run free as a zergling, blending his mind with its body for a while, or swimming among the clouds as an overlord. Never for long, he wanted to maintain his attention at the greater view after all.

In a short while it had become natural for him to share awareness with his swarm. Whenever any of them saw something interesting they'd shout for his attention in the swarm's connected awareness, and sometimes he spotted things that the zerglings might have ignored otherwise. He was teaching them, and they were teaching him. It was a fun, but he had a feeling it would not last. Feeling one of the zerglings tugging at his mind for attention he felt annoyance. If he had a body at that moment, he would have frowned and grit his teeth together.

Group of humans were walking near the forest's edge, and looking about. He felt one of the zerglings rushing to get Vera, but the one that had alerted him kept staring at the distance quietly. The ten people with the spears might be a threat to other humans, but Dain was fairly certain they would be of little use against beasts or the zerglings, beyond a distraction. So these people were definitely after other people. The two swordsmen in front of the group caught his attention. He felt they were a threat, a gut feeling telling him that they had power.

_Overlord. I need to use some bio-energy for more zerglings. Can I halt a construction?_

_It is possible patriarch, you lose some bio-energy to keep a morphing in stasis temporarily but you get some of the unspent bio-energy back._

_Good. I need to put the extractor on hold._

Focusing his mind towards the two morphing drones, he could feel one of them humming to itself while growing, both above and below the creep carpet. Deep pool starting to form underground, and a protective dome above the pools. The extractor in turn was sinking down roots to the depths, as well as pulsing with the complex organs forming within it.

Touching the extractor's mind, he felt a little confused thought enter his. The drone's mentality was shifting as it morphed as well, but the question reached him easily enough. He could understand, it had been concentrating on fulfilling his wishes, and suddenly he interrupted the drone.

_Only for a little while. There are dangerous people nearby. I need more zerglings to protect the swarm. Only for one cycle of a sunset, sunrise._

Dain felt a rush of energy enter the swarm, feeling it flooding him as well. Like stepping into a warm shower. It was a lot different from the earlier light warmth he had felt, the comfort of this rush of heat was exquisite. In this incorporeal state he could sense the amount of bio-energy present naturally. Without a body, his mind didn't have to craft up a vision of a book he could read. He knew instinctively what he had available.

_So roughly fourty bio-energy units. Ten lost today to keep the drone alive and waiting for tomorrow so it can finish its morphing. Very well. Fourty bio-energy means twenty more zerglings._

_Hear me, sons and daughters of the swarm! I need your bravery, your strength, your dedication to protect the family, the swarm. I am your patriarch, and though I do not wish to see any of you harmed, it has become obvious we cannot avoid battle for long. Serve with pride, and become the warriors we need._

He did not need speeches, he could just order. Yet somehow it felt right to let them know how he felt, how he appreciated his family. The cheer in his mind was primal, rising from the hatchery's unborn larva that began their path down the passages, his mind directing them to gather around his chrysalis behind the hatchery to begin their morphing there immediately.

O O O Half an Hour Later O O O

Dain was cursing in his mind when he watched the soldiers approaching. Gem's confession had left him somewhat wary, but the idea of having Vera flying and out of the immediate harm's way gave Dain at least some comfort. The was not really happy about the idea of her taking on the enemy by herself.

The ten zerglings near the hatchery gathered at ready before Gem, spaced apart so that no spell should be able to hit them at once. The two others that had been following the group of men lingered in the background, staying out of sight, for now. Behind the hatchery, he could feel the young minds of zerglings ready to hatch rise to his mind. The hatchery's humming was still calming, but there was a tension in the hive-mind.

It was the swordsmen that stepped forth from the bushes first. The soldiers with spears followed quickly after, but those two were the ones that Dain and his zerglings paid most attention to. One of them was a tall, broad-shouldered, muscular man with raven-black hair, and with scars along his arms, as well as a white eye along with a scar over it. His other eye's blue glow warned him of the man's power though.

The other swordsman was more lithe in build, blonde and young. Dain could estimate the taller man to be about fourty, while the younger was definitely twenty years in age, perhaps a year older. The soldiers watched both swordsmen with silent respect, as well as a clear fear. The creep didn't bother the swordsmen, but the soldiers seemed nervous while taking their steps ahead.

"You have given us a lot of trouble girl. You better come along quietly if you want to avoid getting gagged and bruised, and don't even think about trying your magic on us, Akil here is quite an adept and specializes in hunting down mystics."

The older man's voice was serious and demanding, he did not seem to even care about the two rows of zerglings gathered before Gem. Dain had a nasty feeling this man alone was a real threat, much more troublesome than any of the beasts had been. Dain's senses reached for the overmind, and he felt relieved to find that Vera and the overlord were staying up high enough to avoid any thrown spears. He did not want to see Vera falling from the sky.

"I am not going back, Husan. I have been tracking my teacher's murderers, and I know where their remains are. I left to catch those thieves and stop them from escaping with what they stole, and-"

"Quiet down woman, nobody asked you to give excuses. You ran away when your master was dead, that makes you a runaway and that means legally anyone of higher rank may lay claim on you. Now you either surrender and come along peacefully, or we'll let the men have a turn with you before you are put in chains. Your choice."

The young man's words were full of anger and malice. Dain had felt the swarm's anger rise up and flare in him when the protoss had rushed forth, but even so, he felt the malice coming from this man was at a whole other level. He had not been able to read their emotions before, but somehow he knew. The overlord knew, and through the overlord, he knew. It made him pause briefly when he realized that the overlord in turn gained its insight from Vera.

_I guess it was more dangerous to have her eat some of the creep than I realized. At least it seems she has benefited from it, rather than suffering. Perhaps it too depends on my intent? I'll have to consider it carefully later. _

Focusing his mind on the battlefield he saw the formation of soldiers stepping forth spears held at ready, moving as a single unit, well trained. The two swordsmen marched just before them, drawing their blades. Closing in at Gem who was shivering, Dain could feel her legs trembling on the creep blanket.

"These pitiful creatures are no match for us. If you wanted to stop us, you should have brought an army."

Just then the overlord's body clenched, and Dain could feel Vera's grasp on the overlord's tendrils tighten. The overlord was obeying _her _command. It took him a second to realize she'd just assumed command of it for a moment, but he didn't complain. Not with the effect it had.

Spitting out a stream of greenish yellow fluid towards the ground, the overlord splattered four of the soldiers with its spit. The soldiers looked up after the heavy splash, as did the swordsmen. The shrieking began as the soldiers skin began to hiss and then burn away, the acid content of the overlord's stomach emptied from the sky upon them. Dain could feel drops burning on the creep's surface, but neutralized by it almost instantly.

The panicked four were no use in a fight anymore, but Dain did not believe in a word such as overkill. There was no overkill. Especially when his family was at risk.

_Destroy them all. Let none survive to warn the others of our presence or they'll try and destroy us later! They chose to oppose us, now show them how we fight! For the swarm!_

The ten zerglings shrieked but their voices were joined a second later by a similar shriek and yet another second passing before a third rise in voice reached at the sky. The combined shouts were beastly, frightening and powerful. The ten zerglings held their place but the other twenty that had hatched while the men were shouting at Gem had decided to rush in to join the fray.

"I did. You forgot, Husan, that my mentor was once the Grand Advisor. Not only in magic, but in war between cities."

Gem's voice made it sound like she was in complete control, like she was the one calling the shots here. Somehow that made Dain grin widely in his mind. Seeing the frustration and anger in the old man's one good eye was amusing. Then the anger faded, replaced by something that made Dain shiver with a cold premonition. This would get ugly.

Shouting, the old man's body seemed to burst into blue flames that surrounded him, a bristling aura surrounding his fists, his drawn sword, and his head and shoulders. Swinging the blade he cleaved through the first two zerglings in one fast swipe. He kicked on the ground leaping back in that same motion, flying over the stunned soldiers that were left to try and hold back the tide.

Still shocked, panicked, and unable to react in time the soldiers lasted little less than two seconds as the zerglings literally tore their way through them chasing after both him and the young man that this Husan had called Akil. While his leap back had not been as impressive in its length the young man's agile sprint convinced Dain that he too could be a threat. As the zerglings rushed forth, Dain also saw what they were doing. Watching his swarm, they seemed to look at the gaps growing in between the zerglings, which ones were gaining on them faster, which stayed back.

_They want to make my swarm come at them one at a time? Oh no you don't. I'm not that stupid._

Dain smirked while turning his attention to the overlord, taking in what it saw. The zerglings were informed of the danger Dain saw, and the faster ones kept going ahead in front of the rest of the swarm, but pacing it so that the six of them, scar included, would stay as a group rather than allowing any of them to get to the men alone.

"Damn! They're smarter than they look!"

Cussing after a moment the old man turned towards Akil and nodded. "Take word to Ravenrock. Stars Above, Pit Below." He slowed down his running, while the younger man kept on running, pushing himself further. It looked like the old man planned to buy the young man some time. Unfortunately, it might work. Dain wasn't going to let it happen if he could stop it though. Instructing the zerglings to split and scatter around the man to then gather beyond him to hunt down the other man, he turned his attention to the main force of the swarm.

With over twenty zerglings rushing in his direction, the older man trembled. He'd made it off the creep blanket, which was impressive and troublesome in itself. He had reached amidst the thick of trees that should have slowed him down yet the two men had not even missed a step in their pace. Their bodies moved with a speed that was inhuman. They had to be able to accelerate themselves. That meant they would likely also be able to fight the zerglings. He doubted that a lone foe could down all of his zerglings, but he wasn't entirely sure anymore, too many troubling thoughts had risen into his mind now.

The zerglings rushed in but rather than attack him they surrounded him, forming a pair of closing rings, starting to near the man like a pack. The swarm was united, each knew the exact timing, exact placing. Dain gave the order. In less than a second, four zerglings were cut down. In exactly a second the man's head landed on the ground. By the two second mark, his body landed as well. The zerglings tore at his body, ripping it apart. The flames that had surrounded him scorched two more zerglings before their pained screech alerted the others of just how powerful that ability was. Six zerglings dead, and that man had fought against a force of over twenty zerglings, all attacking the same moment.

He shivered to think what might have happened if the old man had fought with his comrades to aid him and with a wall of spears ready to cover any retreating step. Damn it, Dain thought, the adept may have fallen to the numbers, but examining his zerglings, he could tell that half of the surviving ones had been badly burned in their rush too. The two that had landed on his shoulders to help in tearing the old man's head right off had been burnt before they could leap off, but they had bought time for the third to jump up and cleave the head away in mid-jump. Brutal as it had been, the old man's last stand had caused him unacceptable harm.

Focusing his attention back to the overlord and observing the territories for signs of the other man, Dain became aware of Vera's patting on its underside. "It looks like its over, so can you set me down?" Vera's request made Dain sigh inwardly. It meant landing or at least coming down low enough to lose sight of the forest. The zerglings were following the man, and trying to catch up on him, but this Akil was frightening in his speed. Dain had a feeling that without something like adrenaline gland mutation for the zerglings they would not be able to catch up, unless the man ran out of stamina.

The realization that the Ravenrock would be alerted to his presence made Dain cuss even louder inside his head. The zerglings had trouble catching up with him, so the overlord had no chance. Sighing again inwardly, the patriarch gave the command for the overlord to return to the hatchery, and set Vera down.

O O O Later that Evening O O O

Dain tried to go through the events of the day carefully. After the girls had killed several beasts to cut up their meat and store it into a chilled pit in the creep they had readied themselves to fight a dangerous foe with almost equally sized forces. The soldiers panic had cost them their lives, and the swarm's lethality had been proven, but Dain could not stop thinking about how the swordsmen had reacted.

The moment the swarm rushed in with those numbers and the soldiers were already in shock from having to watch out both from acid spit from the sky and facing a wall of claws and fangs, the two of them had apparently decided the battle was impossible to win, and they'd moved back to flee. The younger fellow had followed the old man's lead, but their reaction time was abnormal. Their speed was also frightening. They were no little town adepts, they seemed like true city's adepts.

Ravenrock would have many more. If their leaders were ready to lay down the lives of their soldiers to cover their escape, and ready to lay down their own lives to get a message through to their superiors, they were a foe that was worth fearing. Dain's day had gone from bad to worse. Too many enemies, too many threats, and not enough resources.

Dain considered the thought of expanding and sending a group of drones surrounded by zerglings and an overlord to establish a second hatchery elsewhere in case this place was attacked by overwhelming force, but even that would have to wait till he had first regained a physical form, and strengthened his swarm. The spawning pit would be a step in the right direction, the extractor should help him out, and then there would be the evolution chamber. It was still a relatively slow improvement, but things had not gone the way he had hoped.

Gem was going to be trouble. She had brought those men here with her quest. He felt angry, betrayed, but at the same time he understood why she had fled from them. He loathed the way the young man had looked at her. Something about it just got him ready to tear the man limb from limb himself. He silently thought if he had already made Gem part of the family in his mind. Probably, he couldn't explain that amount of protectiveness without it.

He heard the two women talking to one another, but paid it little attention. There was a lot of things going on, and right now he was still mad at Gem. Even if he understood her motives, he didn't have to agree about how much she had felt she needed to tell them. If she had warned them beforehand he might have prepared more zerglings earlier, but things never seemed to go the way he wanted. He'd need to get her the papers from the thieves at some point. He'd need to find out how big force the protoss had in the area. He'd probably have to fight Ravenrock. He'd more than likely have to fight a lot of people, and beyond all that lay a troubling fact he had not forgotten even though he felt he would simply not have the time to do anything about it.

Somewhere out there his mother was held captive perhaps by even bigger bastards than these men of Ravenrock. Dain wished he could talk to Vera, hug her, and tell her it would all be alright. Perhaps he would have believed it then too.

OOOOOO

Alright, a lot of things have been going on, a lot of real life matters to take care of. I've also watched how many stories have sprung to life from East Bridge's inspiration. I'm wondering if I have established a story that is worth the laughs and attention or if its a pale imitation of the true generation.

That said, I got a lot of ideas in mind, the tale is only at its beginning. I've got framework for 12 chapters more in my mind, and a more filled in content for the next 4 chapters still. Though I take input and inspiration as it comes. I see how many tales there are of this kind now, and wonder if I should leave the tale for others to write upon, taking up some other idea.

I'm not giving up on this tale though, just saying I am considering the options. I could shorten this tale remarkably, and bring it to a proper end, but at the same time I'd prefer to keep it living and moving on a long time still, one chapter at a time.

Presently considering taking up that 2nd project at the side to balance out the writing. More of that later though, here's the 12th chapter, my apologies how long this was in the making (rewrote and edited and then deleted it, rewrote again and so forth), the 13th should not take as long to finish. I attempted to make this a double-length text, but it felt drawn out and unnecessarily graphic.


	13. Chapter 13: Resurrection

Author's Note: I do not own Starcraft or any of the units portrayed within it. Starcraft is the property of Blizzard Entertainment, I only own my original creations. This is a work of fan fiction, existing entirely outside any canon material. This tale was inspired by reading "_The Zerg Swarm_" tale by _East Bridge._

**Chapter 13 – Resurrection**

Three days passed in relative silence after the attack. The spawning pit emerged in its full glory, the domed complex holding semi-transparent 'skin' between rising pillars of tough muscle, covering the pits of various liquids within. Some of the pools contained powerful acids, others full of nourishing goop that was even more enriched than the swarm's creep. Some of the pools held more chilly liquid, capable of preserving things for a lengthy period of time. The zerglings had moved the meat from the chilled pits outside to the spawning pit's cold storage as soon as it was finished.

Two of the ten pools actually contained pure water, something which Dain soon found the two young women were using shamelessly to their advantage. Taking one of these pools to bathe in and another to gather their fresh water from instead of going all the way to the stream, they had what they needed right there. Dain might have been tempted to peek at Gem bathing there, but since she bathed with Vera there as well Dain chose to not view the area when the two of them were soaking themselves.

The extractor's thick roots reached around underground and both strengthened the area and drew upon it. Extractor's abilities were making the area more alive, there was no doubt about that, and Dain's daily income of bio-energy had increased by half soon after the extractor was ready. After that, he had focused his attention more upon his own chrysalis however. He finally made up his mind, and let his mind return to his new flesh.

The chrysalis's surface cracked and began to rip apart as the zerg patriarch's hands pushed through the chitinous surface, ripping himself out of the chrysalis remains. It had sustained him and nourished his restoration, but it was like an eggshell, when Dain was ready it had to be destroyed to allow his freedom. Thankfully the chrysalis itself was little more than an extension of the hatchery's awareness, so he did not feel like he was killing anything at least.

Opening his own eyes as he emerged Dain was briefly nauseated by the sensation, trembling. He saw the surroundings as more colorful, vibrant and yet at the same time more precise. It was as if he could look at a distant tree and count the veins on one of its leafs if he wanted to, but at the same time he could also keep an eye on everything else happening in his field of vision.

His hair had fallen off replaced by thin black strings that reached down past his shoulders behind him. His body had gained a little extra weight, but he did not look too different physically. His body was more firm, more muscular in its build but quite human by a first glance. His skin was a little darker, and brushing along it with his fingers he could feel the sensation as accurately or as numbly as he wished. Trying to pinch on his arm he found the surface of the skin could instantly harden somewhat, it was tougher than what the zerglings hide was but he had a feeling it would not stop a determined, serious attacker still. It might slow down and weaken an attack however, and that was good enough, for now.

It took Dain a minute to realize his clothes were all gone, he stood at the grounds entirely naked. He did not have spare clothing around either, which made the situation feel somewhat awkward. Quietly he hoped he might somehow just form something that at least looked like clothing to cover up with, but his abilities were what they were, and that kind of an utility power had been passed by in his resurrection.

He felt his skin covered by a thin string of fluid though, wiping it off with his hands quietly as he looked around. He had not blinked since he emerged from the chrysalis, and he did not close his eyes or lose his awareness of his surroundings either when he reached out to the hive-mind this time. The connection was far smoother and easier to reach into than before. The time spent in that incorporeal form must have helped him get the practice he needed, or it might be the new body he had. More than likely it was a combination of the two.

_Patriarch Evolutionary Stage: Alpha_

_Swarm Evolutionary Stage: Alpha_

_Patriarch Bio-Energy: 0/250_

_Patriarch Bio-Genesis: 25/cycle_

_Swarm Bio-Energy: 150/1.000_

_Swarm Bio-Genesis: 75/cycle_

_Requirement for Evolution_

_+Evolution Chamber_

_Structures available_

_Hatchery (100be), Evolution Chamber (200be), Spawning Pit (150be), Extractor (100be), Spine Crawler (100 be), Swarm Warren (300be)_

_Breeds available_

_Zerglings (2be), Drone (2be), Overlord (5be), Roaches (3be), Queen (10be)_

_Morphs_

_Zergling - Baneling (1be)_

_Swarm Complexes:_

_-Hatchery (Providing 50be/cycle, 25 larva)_

_-Extractor (Providing 25be/cycle)_

_-Spawning Pit (Unlocked Roaches, Queens, Banelings) (Unlocked Spine Crawler, Swarm Warren) (Speeds unit morphing by 200%)_

_Swarm Composition:_

_-Patriarch - Alpha_

_-Overlord (1)_

_-Zerglings (26)_

_Allies:_

_-Psychic "Vera"_

_-Aspected Psychic "Gem"_

The amount of information he received was immense but his mind picked through it for the most relevant information easily. He did not need to forge any illusion in his mind about reading it off a page either, he knew what he wanted to know. Listing it out in his mind, he went through what the new options were. The last two days in his chrysalis had left him with a nice chunk of bio-energy to use.

The swarm would need to evolve soon, if it was to meet the human and protoss threat. In the meanwhile, he'd also feed his curiosity somewhat. He wanted to see a few of his new units. Calling up the details for the two units that intrigued him the most for now.

_Roaches_

_Warrior_

_Shock Troopers, Spit Acid_

_Cost: 3 bio-energy_

_Spawns: 45 minutes (15 min accelerated)_

_Queen_

_Elite Commander_

_Psychic Vanguard, Evolver_

_Cost: 10 bio-energy_

_Spawns: 2 hours (40 min accelerated)_

There was no denying the fact that the aerial acid attack, though somewhat improvised, had given the earlier attackers a nasty surprise. Roaches acid would be even more potent. They would make for fine protectors. He issued a command for five of them to be spawned and watched the hatchery's sides shiver a bit as a group of larva emerged. They did not begin to morph there however, instead crawling towards the Spawning pit, which he had fortunately placed close to the hatchery.

Unlike the game, they seemed to plan on walking in there to finish up their morphing. Dain briefly wondered if the creep might have carried the effects over, but decided to worry about that later. It made sense in a strange way that they actually had to visit the complex he had morphed to acquire the evolved shape that it provided.

Then there was the matter about the queen. He was not certain what this queen would be like, but he wanted to find out, and he could use a powerful unit in case the enemies came to attack the primary hive complex. He issued the order for a Queen to be spawned, watching as the hatchery began to tremble again. No larva emerged however. Instead, zerglings dashed in the spawning pit, retrieving something. Four of them soon rushed closer, carrying together what looked like golden nectar, thick like honey but yet clearly not solid.

These zerglings rushed up the side of the hatchery, pouring this liquid down at the opening at the hatchery's roof. It seemed no larva was emerging, but instead, the queen seemed to begin its morphing inside the hatchery itself. That was a little intriguing to Dain. At the same time he felt a brief moment of amusement in the swarm.

"_You do not have drones to carry out such tasks. The zerglings are not exactly used to that kind of work, though they live to serve. You may want to spawn some drones to help with maintaining things later, as well as carrying larva to the spawning pool."_

The thought made Dain blush somewhat. It seemed kind of obvious as an afterthought. The zerglings were the warriors of his group, and the drones were, well, the drones. They would handle the labor and receive the protection from the warriors, and the swarm itself worked as a family with each member filling the role they had been given.

"_Do not worry, Patriarch. No drones were available so the zerglings rushed in to lend a hand, there is nothing wrong with that. We will need more drones later however, to spawn new complexes and evolve further."_

Again, Dain wondered just how clumsy he was. He had estimated he'd have enough bio-energy to morph himself a drone and begin working on the Evolution Chamber tomorrow, but even if he raised 200 bio-energy by the end of the day he would not have a drone to spare for the morphing. He was lucky the swarm did not judge him or even grade his performance, he had a feeling he was not really using the swarm's abilities at their optimal level.

Having finally emerged, Dain considered visiting Gem and Vera but decided against it. As long as they were bathing, they should be given some privacy, and he would prefer to get something to wear. Calling a pair of zerglings to his sides, he began to walk towards the forest, having gotten an idea.

O O O Gem and Vera O O O

"So that is it." Vera looked at Gem intently in the warm water, her shoulders showing out from the bubbling water. The pool usually looked calm but each time had and Gem set down there it seemed to push air out from beneath them, causing a tickling but pleasant sensation of warm water moving all around them.

"Yes, my master created me some herbal remedy to appear barren. The sample of blood they got showed no potential for raising a new talent, so I was considered less important from that point on. I have kept drinking the brew on occasions, just in case. It helps me over the times of the month I would otherwise be cussing at everyone. The only problem is that without my master I cannot acquire them that easily. I think if they caught me, they'd test my blood again and if they found that the magic resonated with a potential for a talented heir, they would put me in some noble talent's home."

Both Vera and Gem shivered at the thought. Neither of them were particularly fond of the Ravenrock's idea of the duties of a talented woman. Gem had been telling about her home over the past few days, the good and the bad. The people that had treated her as a person, and the ones that had treated her as property. The mark on her skin was the only reason that some people actually left her in peace back then.

"I am grateful for the master. I think he had his selfish reasons too, he used to speak of a daughter that looked like me, in the past. I am not entirely sure but it seems he lot her before coming to Ravenrock. Something that he said was both a sorrow and a blessing. I understood why when I saw Husan with one of the girls he dragged to Master's home one time. He required some healing paste for some wounds she had received during discipline. The girl looked like she had tried to stop a blood-boar with bare hands."

"Don't worry. Dain trusted these creatures before, and I have come to trust them too now. It may seem strange but they are more loyal than our home village's people were, they are more caring, and more honest. They have their violent side but that shows when they get protective. I doubt they would harm you."

"I still think that they might harm the innocent people at Ravenrock. I'd want to go back there to warn those who have never done anything wrong. The ones that live by working the poor, small fields, that try to throw their nets out at the waters by the docks, and the ones that work on the new building. The true people. The nobles may be corrupt and selfish bastards that only respect those with a powerful talent, but not all are that way." Gem sighed, looking down.

"Are you still going to go back and warn them?" Vera asked seriously, keeping her gaze upon Gem until the other woman shook her head. "No. I don't want you or these creatures to suffer, you have only defended yourselves and helped me. I think the little beasts could have torn those people apart in the forest before they even got to the place, but instead they waited till the soldiers began to show hostility."

"Actually, I think it was until I told the flying one to spit down on them. It sounded pretty weird coughing it up for a moment but quiet enough that they didn't hear it from a distance." Shrugging at this, Vera leaned back and sighed, before her eyes turned back to look at the thin-skinned wall of the new complex. It was a strange place, but in a way, pleasantly warm and comforting. Yet even as the view through it was a little distorted, her eyes spotted a clear change in the scenery.

"The chrysalis has broken!" Splashing the water as she swiftly got up and out of it, Vera almost reached the doorway before Gem shouted. "Clothes!" That stopped her, a brief blush followed by a hurried dressing up as both she and Gem readied to head out. Gem still had a bandage around her side and another around her leg, but she was almost fully healed. The soaking in the water seemed to have helped her recovery too.

Walking outside they were greeted by another sight however. Not only was the chrysalis broken, but a group of five bulky, powerful looking creatures was patrolling the perimeter of the larva-covered ground, accompanied by a group of zerglings. They must have just hatched too, Gem and Vera could see the rapidly melting remnants of eggs nearby.

"The Patriarch will return shortly. Please wait patiently until then." A feminine voice spoke out at them all of a sudden, causing Vera and Gem to turn around to look at a figure stepping out from behind the hatchery. Neither of them could say a word for a short moment, staring in shock.

Before them stood a beautiful woman, or half of one at least. Slender waist and a bare bosom were one thing, but the elegant, very human face had captivating eyes of deep purple, a thorny crown of small sharp nubs lining her head, the full, dark lips showing a small smirk on her face. Her skin was pale with a very light touch of purple to it.

Below that waist however began a more alien form. Sturdy seat housed the upper half of her body, like a throne in its making. The body beneath it was a chitinous shell with eight legs carrying the creature with absolute silence and grace. The human-shaped upper half had hands of her own that looked mostly human, but as if coated by a layer of scales that formed elegant gloves on her form, those hands ending up with sharp nails.

"Who are you?" Vera asked a little terrified as she stared at the creature. Gem's eyes had narrowed too. Vera was trembling, and she had come to trust Vera's judgment about these things. The new creatures had alarmed her somewhat as well, but she held still for now.

"I am the Queen, and I have emerged to assist the Patriarch with the Swarm. He left me with instructions to speak to you when you emerged from the spawning pit's waters. He shall return soon, but in the meanwhile, he asked you to wait here for his return."

There was a calm smile on the Queen's face, and her human-like hand reached down to stroke a nearby Zerg's head as it nuzzled against her throne. The overlord was flying high up in the sky above, watching the grounds. Half the zerglings were patrolling the perimeter of the primary hive site, and all of the new, bulky and powerful looking creatures seemed to have joined them at that.

"I haven't seen one of these creatures speak, well not with word at least." Vera said a bit confusedly, seeing the Queen chuckling and stepping closer. Vera held her ground, not backing away although she was nervous. She had already come to trust the zerg, but it was before she saw they could mimic a human shape this well. It was a bit frightening to her. Especially how much Dain had changed. Then again, she felt a kinship with them that she had never really felt back at home. She never really felt lonely, though she had thought it was thanks to Gem being around her too in the past few days.

"I am a little more advanced breed of the zerg. I could not be born into this world before the Patriarch had a spawning pit prepared for my arrival. The same is true for those roaches." She gestured at the larger warriors rushing along with the smaller ones. "Zerglings, the first warriors of the swarm, and the drones, those larger workers that helped out here earlier did not require so much to be born. The Patriarch's power will grow with time and practice, and with him, so will the swarm."

Looking at both Vera and Gem for a moment, the Queen then chuckled for a moment and shook her head. "If you are curious, the reason the Patriarch is not here now is that he emerged from his chrysalis in a fully healed state, but from what I understood he was embarrassed about his nudity." The statement caused Gem and Vera to exchange a brief glance, but the Queen continued speaking calmly. "He should return once he has prepared what he went off to do. If he was more evolved, he should not have trouble with that, but at this stage at least he cannot just create an appearance of such a 'dress' so easily."

"Hey, I am glad you are talkative and willing to tell us what is going on but I would like knowing your name." Vera's question caused the queen to pause and blink, before she smiled in a polite manner again. "I am a Queen. I do not have a name I could pronounce in this form. In the whispers of our minds, the swarm knows me but I understand the Patriarch and you share names which let others like you know who you speak of. I can take up some name, if the patriarch gives me one."

Vera resorted to simply nodding once, taking a deep breath and sighing. Looking at the Queen a moment and then turning her attention to Gem. "We need a shirt for her." Gem blinked and stiffled a short laugh. "She is a large being with strange colors, an insect-like lower half, and you are concerned most about her walking around bare-chested?" Chuckling a bit even as she spoke, Gem's chuckling was getting a little infectious, making Vera join in at a good heart laugh.

Watching the two of them the queen sighed and moved to cross her hands over her chest to hide it somewhat, feeling a little left out. One of the two women had a connection to the swarm, but it was an emotional bond, and worked better through direct touch. She could not peek into their minds as easily as she might to the rest of the swarm, and she had to admit it was a little unpleasant to be left aside while the two of them looked like they were having fun.

Speaking with the Overlord in the sky through the hive-mind, she confirmed these two were always just this strange. The overlord at least comforted the young queen they meant well, and the psychic one was concerned of the swarm's well-being. They were just not true members of the swarm, and could not understand what their laughter was like to the queen. Smiling quietly, the Queen waited for the two of them to calm down. Silently waiting for the Patriarch's return.

OOOOOO

I am presently considering giving a perspective change to the Protoss and the humans at Ravenrock, these would of course take the story away from Dain and his group for one or two chapters. I am going to focus a little more on Dain and his family, the swarm itself, after that but the action is likely to pick up soon enough again.

Calm before the storm, in other words.

Also, Kane had a few questions. I prefer to not give out spoilers, but a few of these I should be able to answer.

"Stars above, pit below" is a saying that Dain is not familiar with, but the people of the world of Prime practice a measure of ancestor worship associated with the stars in the sky. They believe they came from the stars, and one day return to them. The Pit Below refers to old punishment of throwing the unworthy down to deep chasms, to either die or to live out the rest of their (likely short) lives in total darkness. "Death before dishonor", in a way. Its not a common phrase, but signifies willingness to die for a cause. More fanatic members of certain groups use it on Prime, but the ones that mainly look to survive (and cowards) are unlikely to say it.

There are more units to be seen still, a lot more. I plan to mix a bit of Starcraft 1 and 2 with this, and add in some content of my own. I aim to try and not make Zerg overpowered, but they do gain in strength as they evolve further. Unlike East Bridge, I kind of like the idea of some structures (complexes) being necessary nodes for the Zerg evolution of stronger breeds. I am not planning to use all of them, but some. Though reaching the structure critical for next evolutionary step will increase the swarm's power the most. Mostly cause it allows all the zerg to get a little further along their path.

As for the Aura, the Mystics can affect the world around them, while the Adepts mainly focus on themselves. The Aura was both a manifestation of the old warriors' body kicking it up to overdrive, but an actual combination of offense and defense, a burning flame that did not cause him any real harm (beyond profuse sweating) but that would make his attacks more brutal, and also mean any attacks against him would damage the weapon, or in this case, the claws and jaws of the zerglings.

Adept and Mystic powers differ greatly. They tend to have 3 stages though. Primary, Secondary, and Tertionary. Something they excel in, something they're good at, and something they have limited abilities with. Not all adepts and mystics are equal even if they had the same choices though, its a mixture of natural ability and training. A highly trained adept assassin with little actual mana in them might still kill an overpowered adept with frightening attacks simply by the virtue of knowing how to avoid the attacks and when to strike back.

Hope this has helped a little, I'll try and answer things from time to time but some matters I cannot tell too much about just yet, or they'll ruin some ideas I'd rather keep secret for now.

Let me know though, whether I should work on Protoss or Human side next, and if I should combine them to a single chapter, or give both a chapter's worth of space separately. Combined chapter would be longer than average chapter, but not as lengthy as two separate chapters. It would let me return to talk about the swarm sooner though.


	14. Chapter 14: The Lost

Author's Note: I do not own Starcraft or any of the units portrayed within it. Starcraft is the property of Blizzard Entertainment, I only own my original creations. This is a work of fan fiction, existing entirely outside any canon material. This tale was inspired by reading "_The Zerg Swarm_" tale by _East Bridge._

**Chapter 14 – The Lost**

The searing heat of a psi-blade thrust through the hound's neck, killing it as its spine broke. The zealot squad kept dancing like whirling dervishes, the blue flash of a blade promising death to each approaching foe. They were good. Fast, elegant, and lethally precise, and the jaws of the beasts found only the shimmering field of personal energy shield each one of the zealots carried.

They were truly frightening to behold, Executor Tal'dan told himself. Yet they would not be enough. Ever since he discovered the presence of Zerg, the zealots were far from enough. Yet they were all he had for now. The nexus' isolated location at the small isle of steady ground amidst the swamp's treacherous soil made it hard to expand, but it also kept away most people that might have threatened its presence. The two drones were working on manufacturing the two new pylons near it, to provide him with more power.

For now, he was on his own. No emergency signals seemed to get an answer. Ever sine Executor Tal'dan awoke in this world at the controller's seat of the nexus he had found this troubling, but locating zerg so near his stronghold was frightening. The old gateway rested nearby, refusing to grant him more warriors than the eight zealots he had at his side for now, and the two drones laboring on the pylons construction.

He had found no minerals, no vespene gas, but instead had the nexus gathering an ambient resonance from this world, empowering crystals gathered at the old native ruins to create these pylons, and hopefully in time, some more advanced technology. The protoss presence in this world was weak, and if the zerg knew this, they would overwhelm them. The executor had no doubts about this. They were savage, cruel bastards that wanted nothing more than to extinguish all life.

In his mind a whispering presence urged him on. It was bizarre, no connection to the comforting psychic presence of the other Protoss existed, only the psychic net created by him and his followers, the nexus' amplifiers allowing him to tap into the awareness of his allies in this task.

It had been several days since they had awoken at the swamp, finding the crashed carrier's broken remnants scattered about. The probes within contained plans for the pylons, and perhaps a key to repairing the broken nexus and gateway. For now, they were stranded with little promises of aid, and without the pylons, the little psychic sustenance that the nexus could provide was hardly sufficient for large numbers of protoss to arrive anyway.

Yet he was keenly aware that without increasing numbers their efforts would be doomed. Zergs meant that they had to act swiftly, even if it meant tearing apart the ruins of whatever native terrans called this place their home. Their old ruins contained a wealth of fragments, part of khaydarin crystal, an immense one that was certain. Tal'dan did not want this all to come for nothing, he didn't wish to admit defeat and let some zerg monstrosity lay its ugly claws upon the pure crystals.

They'd need to prepare. Given time, they'd get the nexus operational, and the gateway functioning. Even now, resonance was building, and the executor was keying down commands. From what he understood from the panels, as soon as the pylons would be activated, he should be able to call upon more warriors.

There was constant references to the 'void' and the silence. It troubled him, and the headache was not made any easier by the irritating hallucinations he felt he was having. Mental image of a _terran_, though one that called himself human, trying to tell him to hurry up and get things started before a zerg rush would crush his defenses. It was irritating, and he already knew that there was a rush, but disturbing the assembly was not something he was willing to risk. Two more days, he silently hoped.

Two more days and the pylons would be operational. Then they could call upon more warriors. Expand their structures. Begin to create some turrets to aid in culling down these beasts that kept bothering him. At least there was one good thing about them. Slaughtering the right ones seemed to yield some kind of crystalline orbs that the drones were capable of utilizing, shattering them for a quick boost of resonance.

Executor Tal'dan. Taro Hiraki. Two names he had in his mind, one was him, and the other one was insisting it was also him. Part of him. Irritating. It did lend some accurate thoughts about the situation from time to time, but Tal'dan fought to keep it quiet for most part. He couldn't let the warriors see him losing his sanity when they were being threatened by a foe as dangerous as the zerg. Without his leadership, they'd all be doomed.

Thankfully, all his warriors lived up to their name, zealots. They were truly frightening to face on the battlefield, and so far, only two of them had been injured, and even then, he had found to his amazement that the nexus he was controlling had the capabilities of restoring wounded protoss back to full health, without the need for a recovery vessel that he was used to sending his wounded and broken warriors to at the end of a battle. At least he thought he was, that irritating voice kept saying Protoss were not meant to heal in any way, just rely on their shields.

Some of the things the voice kept repeating made no sense at all, but at the same time, he was a bit troubled by the events that had taken place. First humans entered the ruins and ran right into the probes, then hunting down those humans had brought him face to face with zerglings. Face to face through the psychic vision that one of his zealots was sharing with him, but still. The zealots had proven their worth that day, slaughtering the zerg mercilessly and efficiently. They looked tired, worn and beaten already, but for the zerg there was no mercy, as they would not give any mercy to a tired protoss either.

Part of him wanted to scream, troubled by the fact there was no word of contact anywhere nearby. The nexus' communications must be down beyond the atmosphere, he kept telling himself. It had to be that. Otherwise, if the unthinkable had happened and Aiur had fallen, he wasn't sure what he could rely on. Of course, such thoughts should not be entertained. They might lead to some interesting questions from the High Templars, once the connections would be re-established.

The only light in the end of the tunnel appeared to be the two pylons coming closer and closer to completion. Unfortunately the solid ground was highly contested territory at the swamps, and it appeared the damn creatures felt that whoever owned the biggest solid ground was the one most likely to get a mate. That much the analysis software was capable of telling him about the situation. Though the advice, relocating to a better area, was not one that he could follow. There was no way of moving the nexus from where it was, and given the situation he had no means of establishing a second nexus elsewhere, and he was certainly not sure he could get all these strange little fixes and updates to the newly constructed one that the nexus he was sitting in appeared to contain.

At the very least the shields were strong enough that the beasts could rage against its walls helplessly for a long time, and though the weaponry was limited, the nexus' sides each houses a powerful plasma gun. Deterrent more than a serious threat, their accuracy was horrible, but at least they provided him with some defenses when he didn't have the benefit of defensive turrets at his disposal yet.

The thought of the zerg kept arising to his mind over and over again. Something about that incident bothered him. Keying in a command to show a recording of the events, he looked them over, one frame at a time, warily observing everything taking place. The zerglings being cut down. The terrans on the ground. The one standing.

The one standing terran was infested, but not in a way that he was familiar with. This one looked mostly human, but the obvious zerg carapace along the arms was noteworthy and it didn't look like he had just skinned a zerg wearing it as a shell armor either. The man turned to face the protoss, and he died swiftly. Yet even as he fell, there was a sense of dread spreading among the zealots.

They had retreated quickly, after the fight. The last images showed the blood's flow ceasing, and then movement in the distance. One more terran, a female one it appeared. This troubled the executor. He had missed this bit of the puzzle earlier, but he had also neglected to pay attention to all the different views. The four zealots had given him a combined vision that used all their senses, but it was a gestalt built from all of that, rather than individual pieces. Some information was lost that way.

Damn it. The zealots were close to that place now, but he knew from the past events that the spot would be 'clean' again. Dead didn't linger for long in this world. Scavengers were plentiful, and opportunistic. Even so, he worried about it, because if the native terrans were scouting out the perimeter of the swamp, and they had zerg that were not threatening all of them either, then there was a very real possibility of a terran-zerg alliance of some sort. Likely in the form of infected warriors of some sort. The executor considered the past evidence, and silently shook his head. Nothing that joined the zerg would care for anything else but the swarm.

They would have to be burned, every last zerg on the face of this world. Perhaps the terrans as well. If they were willing to let zerg run among them, and ally with them like this, then they would deserve to share the fate of these bug-critters and die in agony.

Instructing his zealots once again to kill anything that came too close to the nexus on sight, not caring about what it was, he checked to see the overriding command was present. Any contact with other protoss was to be reported immediately, any sighting or suspected sighting of the zerg a cause for an immediate full scale alarm and deployment. He didn't want to get caught unprepared.

Tal'dan knew that wishing for those two days might be folly, but he also knew that should the foe delay that long, they would be able to get on their feet, and after that, they'd show the zerg that there was no chance of infesting a planet after it had been torched.

OOOOOO

Long time since I last posted. Real life intruded on my writing, and I had a case of writer's block to combat as well. I'm moving back to writing about Dain, Vera and Gem in the next chapter, the humans of Ravenrock are going to be given some space. I felt I should give some insight to the protoss dilemma at the time being, so that's shown here.

I hope to get more writing out soon, and see what happens. I've had a good chance to catch my breath and rethink a few things after all.

I'm also glad to see East-Bridge has updated his own story, the one that has inspired this and other tales to emerge.

Lastly, I spoke with marine3950 about a dream-crossover section to happen soon, but then I hit my own snag with the writer's block and real life interference. I'm going to be adding my part of that soon, not perhaps the next chapter but the one after that at latest. I'm seeing about how exactly I return to the protagonists right now, so I will just say it will be soon.

I'm glad to be back, and I hope anyone that reads this is also glad to see me back.


	15. Chapter 15: Preparations

Author's Note: I do not own Starcraft or any of the units portrayed within it. Starcraft is the property of Blizzard Entertainment, I only own my original creations. This is a work of fan fiction, existing entirely outside any canon material. This tale was inspired by reading "_The Zerg Swarm_" tale by _East Bridge._

**Chapter 15 – Preparations**

Dain did not consider himself a shy man, but he wasn't eager to step in front of his sister or Gem in his birthday suit. His clothing had been torn by the attack of the protoss, but there should have been enough left to fix the outfit somehow, even if it would have been patchwork. He wasn't sure if he had been stripped of his clothing before entering the chrysalis to speed his recovery, or if the chrysalis had consumed the fabric as irrelevant while healing him. While he wasn't angry at either possibility, Dain did find it all a bit uncomfortable for the moment.

The overlord would undoubtedly answer him if he chose to ask, but Dain considered it better not to. There were some mental images he didn't care to have, and the overlord had already displayed its willingness to answer bluntly, like the mental image of his sister bathing, or shedding her skin as the overlord had described the event to his confusion earlier. Regardless of how his clothing was removed, he needed something else to wear, but it was not as if he could just walk up to a local clothier and get new pants for himself.

As he was still debating the issue a set of chirps near him made him turn his attention to a pair of zerglings that stood there holding up pants. Bloody, dark pants that were certainly not his. He was about to ask where they got them, but the answer was obvious to him even before he finished the thought. The soldiers of Ravenrock. Amusing that a zergling figured it out faster than he did.

"Thanks boys, you did good." He reached out to pet the zerglings on the head, feeling the pleased chirping in his mind even if he could hear a more hissing noise out loud. They were happy for the little touches like that. They seemed to take pride in being noticed, and the petting gestures seeming to delight them as much as they would any pet happy to please its master. Though the rhetoric fell apart where the zerglings were smart enough to understand his need, pull it out of his mind when he wasn't trying to conceal his thoughts in any way, and vicious enough to draw pants off a dead man.

"I'll just wash these in the stream and I should be able to head back." The thought of going back to the hatchery barefoot and shirtless didn't bother him as much as going in without any pants would have. Heading towards the stream, he could hear a voice reaching out to him, his new Queen had awoken, and apparently his sister and their guest had also finished their bath already. It was sooner than he had expected, but at least he ought to be able to meet with them soon.

"_Patriarch, there are several beasts wandering around the edge of our territory. Hounds, lead by a massive, more powerful one."_ The overlord's report caused him to pause and consider things carefully. Dain wasn't eager to charge in to a new battle so soon after his last one, but it was a good chance to test something at least. Minor beasts, and probably a lesser one leading them. Dire Hound, dominating the simple hounds through the use of its own magic.

"_Tell the roaches to destroy them if they move towards the hatchery. If they are just crossing our territory at its edge, let them, but if they are headed where the hatchery rests, instruct the roaches and zerglings to do what is necessary."_ Dain felt no particular ill will towards the hounds, even after one of them had chased Gem into a cave, but he didn't want to let them get too close to his hatchery either. Shredding them and trying out the acid that the roaches had would also let him evaluate their usefulness for the coming war.

He had no doubts about the fact that Ravenrock would come to challenge him again and again until they were either destroyed or conquered. Silently Dain cussed at his situation. He still had to find his mother, help Gem recover the documents that detailed more about Khaydarin crystals as well as gave her freedom, as well as deal with two dangerous foes. He'd really need to increase his forces soon.

Considering his options Dain thought about the possibility of simply using the stored bio-energy to create warriors right away and prepare for a threat that might approach them at any time, but he knew that he would need to evolve soon too. The swarm would need to advance, and for that reason, he had to wait a little longer. After he would have an evolution chamber he could focus on building up his forces, and dealing with some of the issues.

Dain considered dealing with Ravenrock first, after the evolution would be complete, but first he had to get that done. Raising the wet pants from the stream, he came to realize he'd pretty much cleaned them up as much as he could while going through the issues on his mind. Brief focus on the hive-mind gave him a view of a vicious battle, the zerglings harassing the hounds while the roaches charged to shoot acid over their foes and retreating once again when they suffered serious bites and scratches. One good thing about the roaches in the front lines was that as soon as they got a little rest they looked a lot better again. Their healing was abnormal, and that helped.

The queen's words broke to his thoughts at that point. _"Are these two always like this?"_ Dain could see the exchange through the hive-mind, and the amusement the two of them seemed to have about the fact that the queen was bare-chested. Some joking about Dain wanting it that way anyway. He rolled his eyes briefly at Vera's joke, but wondered briefly if that was true, he was influencing the swarm after all, and he hadn't ever heard of a queen having such human qualities. Well, other than the Queen of the Swarm, Sarah Kerrigan, and that was an example he didn't want to follow.

"_In my experience, yes. Don't worry, they're both good people."_ He was mad at Gem for hiding things but at the same time he was willing to accept that, her reasons were clear enough. If she feared being put in chains and returned to Ravenrock she was within her rights to hide that, in his eyes. Besides, he believed she would have trusted him and Vera with the truth once she had the documents in her own hands to secure her freedom.

Not that she'd need them soon. Once Dain would crush Ravenrock's leader for what he was doing there would be few that would even try putting Gem in a leash. He wasn't trying to be a white knight or anything of the sort, but Daniel's voice in him urged him to stop something that was injust in his view. Dain wasn't a fan of slavery either, especially as he came from a small village that had survived through the force of a few people strong enough to defend it.

The zerglings and the roaches had made short work of the hounds. Even with half a dozen hounds and a dire-hound, they hadn't managed to kill even one zergling or roach. The overlord's tactical command seemed to have worked out fine, the wounded zerglings and roaches always retreating before they could be killed, giving them a chance to recover as fresh forces tore into the hounds, breaking them and their willingness to fight.

Dain found he needed to pay less attention to individual fights now compared to the swarm as a whole. He was aware of how well it fought, but at the same time, he could relax his control some, surrender some of that control to his overlords, his queens. He would need to grow, and then things would have to be delegated anyhow. He could pay attention to only so many matters at once without getting a headache. The stronger he became, the clearer it became that the swarm was capable but even with his awareness there was a reason there had been cerebrates for the different broods, and the overlords to watch over the masses.

There was a lot of learning to be done, but it would have to wait. Pulling the pants up on his form tightly, he grimaced at their wetness now, but at least the blood was washed out. There was a few scratches but the pants material was mostly fine, and though they were a little big to him, their simple belt was easy enough to tighten so they held on his form. Looking back at the hatchery's direction, Dain headed back.

O O O Back at the Hatchery O O O

"Dain!" Rushing ahead eagerly on seeing her brother up and walking again, Vera jumped up to hug Dain tightly. It might have been a bit embarrassing but she had really thought she had lost him, the only family member she still had near her. The relief in seeing him walking and looking still so human was comforting, she did notice his hair had changed a lot darker, but that didn't concern her much right then. She was just grateful to have her brother back.

"Hey, Vera, I'm glad to see you too but we are a bit old for this." Dain was a bit blushed at Vera's sudden hug. She had done this to mom and him in the past, but she'd stopped hugging him when they both had crossed the threshold age of 14. Looking up at Gem and the Queen, he saw the Queen smiling silently and Gem smirking a faint bit.

She was beautiful to look at without her mask, and the tattoo she carried didn't bother him at all. Dain found himself blushing up a bit worse at looking at Gem's face, in a strange way, it was more embarrassing to him than the queen's nudity. He did silently decide the next evolution would have to include some measure of armor to her form.

"Glad to see you are alright." Gem finally spoke up, and sighed before shaking her head. "You gave us all a real scare. I thought for sure you were dead, and you made your sister cry. Some big brother you are." Her tone was a bit spiky, but then again he hadn't been very friendly to her on the way to the swamp, pointing out her mistakes. He did it while helping her though, and he didn't feel any particular malice in her words, just a bit of concern among those lecturing words.

"I'm not that easy to kill. I'll admit this, it was far closer call than I would have liked. The swarm will need to evolve soon. Tomorrow, I'll begin morphing the Evolution Chamber, and then the swarm will advance." He knew already that the further it all went, the more it would drain him and his swarm. The first advancement had been natural when he got the hatchery established, but construction of the evolution chamber would likely trigger a slower change, or possibly a new chrysalis phase for him and his swarm. He wasn't sure how exactly it would happen.

"Evolution Chamber?" Gem looked at him confusedly. "I have heard of some esoteric names but that doesn't sound familiar." Vera nod her head as well, letting go slowly though still staying close to him. Right now it seemed she was more concerned about making sure he was alright than about being embarrassed hugging a sibling.

"You'll see when its done." Dain said with a smile on his face. "I do need to eat first, though." That wasn't entirely true, he could have just had a mouthful of creep and be satisfied, but watching the group gathering meat from the slain beasts had left him wanting some as well. It was more of a want than an actual need, but he didn't think it was something he wanted to tell them. It might be a bit intimidating in its way. Vera still snacked on pieces of creep now and then, something that Gem hadn't tried yet, and perhaps best that way too, seeing as he hadn't given her permission he wasn't sure how she'd react to it. He had a feeling his own consent affected what happened to those trying to eat his creep.

"Come on, lets get you something to eat then." Gem nod and gestured him to follow. There was a bit of an apologetic smile on her face at this point, the queen watching their group moving towards the spawning pit, before Vera's voice rose up. "When are we going to go save mom?" Her question made Dain's heart clench in his chest. He knew that his mother was a tough woman and strong enough to give bandits hell even bound if they tried to harm her, but the threat was still there.

"After the swarm has finished evolving, I will send a group of zerg to hunt down those slavers and free the slaves. Until then, I cannot spare the numbers without leaving the hatchery exposed to an attack, and it would help nobody if this place were to fall while we were gone." He tried to smile to her, though he had to admit that it would be a lot faster to recover his power this time around. With his own evolution, his bio-energy recovered at a rate that would let him establish a small base within a week's time, rather than taking full ten days to just get a hatchery up and running. Four days to start, a couple days to get it protection, and then it would be time to start advancing. Hopefully he wouldn't have to fall back on that plan anytime soon, but it was good to have something to fall back upon if things were going to fall apart.

O O O The Next Day O O O

Dain watched quietly as the zerglings kept patrolling around the hatchery's perimeter, and the roaches kept a watchful eye on their surroundings, evenly spaces around the hatchery as well. The extractor and spawning pit were working out fine but the drone that had been birthed to start working on the evolution chamber. The dome-like shell was pulsing with life, and the four other drones that had emerged with the one now taking the evolution chamber's shape were all working hard gathering supplies to the spawning pit and around it, for Vera and Gem.

Only 15 bio-energy in the hatchery after this, and Dain's own reserves were entirely drained. He needed to dream and plan. The rest would do him some good, he admitted. The queen had stood by his side when the evolution chamber's creation began. Almost a full day, it would take a good while for the morphing to finish, and after that the evolution itself would likely take them several hours.

"I am not sure I made the right decision. We need warriors as well." Dain admitted to his queen. He didn't need to say it out loud, but it helped to actually speak to his swarm now and then. It reminded him what it was like to be human, after all. "The swarm follows your will, and it does need to evolve. You have done nothing wrong with choosing to advance us faster. We will strengthen our numbers after the evolution." The queen's words gave him some comfort, as he watched the pulsing structure's motions.

"_No signs of hunting parties or approaching army groups within a few mile radius, Patriarch."_ The overlord's report put some of his fears to rest. It was troubling enough to break apart some beasts, but facing an actual army right when they were about to fall into evolution's rest seemed like a very bad idea. There was one clear reason he wanted this evolution as fast as possible however.

_Evolution Chamber_

_Advanced Evolutionary Complex_

_Cost: 200 bio-energy_

_Unlocks Lair, Overseer, Hydralisk_

_Permits Evolution Stage Beta_

Hydralisks. They had always been Daniel's favorite unit, and Dain liked what he had learned from the queen. Powerful ranged warriors with fearsome scythe blades for close combat as well as a large quantity of sharp spines within its body to shoot at terrifying velocity, capable of piercing skin light as a hypodermic needle or punching a hole through a concrete wall. They would make short work of any heavily armored foes, and hopefully discourage attempts to attack the swarm at range.

There was a definite pressure around his heart though. The thought of the many threats, the many different problems all at once was a little intimidating, but at the same time he was certain he would overcome it somehow. He'd need to evolve, and then he'd need to let his swarm grow. He would need to expand, and eventually he would need to turn from defense to offense. While Dain had no plans on harming innocent people, he would strike against the Ravenrock's leader at least, and the protoss would have to be isolate from the rest of the world at the very least. If he couldn't get them to talk, he'd have to isolate them, and probably eventually destroy them.

He didn't like that idea, he'd much rather show the protoss that these zerg, his brood, was not a threat to them unless they wanted to make him their enemy. Dain felt uncomfortable with the way things had been developing, but he knew that the first priority would always be his family.

_So I promised when I began. Family before anything else. I am the Patriarch of the swarm, and I will protect both my sister and the brood._

There was a hand reaching for his. The queen squeezing on his hand. _We are here for you, Patriarch. Command it and we obey. _

OOOOOO

Alright, first of all, Kane I am thankful for the welcome back, and well there's more to the protoss too, but I don't plan on writing more from their angle for a while at least. I thought it over, and honestly if I began to write from the protoss angle more it would take a life of its own as a full side story, and that's not what I began here. Mostly I tried to get out a more simplified, narrowed bit of writing here about them.

I hope the writer's block is truly kicked out and stays out, but only time will tell.

Thanks for the comments, Beyogi, war sage, karthik9, FtDLulz. It feels good to be back.


	16. Chapter 16: Swarm Slumbers

Author's Note: I do not own Starcraft or any of the units portrayed within it. Starcraft is the property of Blizzard Entertainment, I only own my original creations. This is a work of fan fiction, existing entirely outside any canon material. This tale was inspired by reading "_The Zerg Swarm_" tale by _East Bridge._

**Chapter 16 – Swarm Slumbers**

Dain watched the surroundings. The swarm had gathered, all of his warriors around him, all of his allies awaiting his word. Vera and Gem stood a bit back, to not be caught in the midst of it all, when they'd begin their evolution. _One hundred and fifteen units of bio-energy _for any surprises would rest in waiting while Dain and his allies would dream. He looked around, proudly, nodding his head to his family then turning to the other family, the zergs that had all gathered.

"_We hear and obey, Patriarch." _The overlord's voice reached him first. _"We have gathered here as you ordered."_ His queen bowed her head, a torn shirt from one of the dead soldiers tied around her chest to cover her up enough to stop Vera and Gem with their jokes. Dain admit he had taken a look when he had some privacy for that. He was a guy, a lovely bosom would draw his eyes, and the other ones belonged to his sister and a woman wearing a robe that covered her up rather well, so he wasn't feeling all that guilty. Besides, it had been a brief look. In a way, it was even comforting. He was still human enough to like such things.

"Swarm of Prime, as you stand before me we are about to enter our evolutionary slumber. We will dream, and grow stronger. All of you have served me well, all of you have served the family well, and I hope that coming from the slumber you will feel rewarded for your loyalty." Twenty six zerglings, five roaches, four drones, his overlord and his queen all awaited.

"Let the dreaming begin." His words left his lips as the command issued out of his form and to the swarm. The overlord drew breath sharply, becoming a flying cocoon in the sky kept aloft by its internal gas, but a pair of organic ropes flung down to hook into the creep to keep it from floating away on its own. The zerglings and drones bowed their heads, becoming coated with creep that then flowed down revealing simple chrysalis structure over them, like a large egg sheltering them as they slumbered. His own field of vision turned crimson as almost crystalline sphere surrounded him, and his queen. They both entered the dreams, and as they began, Dain drew a sharp breath, inhaling the fluids filling the chrysalis.

His mind was falling to slumber but in that slumber he could see the minds of his zerg, quietly slumbering, each of them with their own dreams, but to his amazement, many of them linked. He could enter their dream-scape, see a few zerglings rushing around cheerfully, competing even in dreams. He could see the dreams of the zergling that Vera had named _Scar_ dreaming of glorious battle, rending foes apart with strength unlike anything a zergling would possess. It was obvious to Dain that the zergs possessed many different minds and personalities. Some merely competitive, but some just as ruthless and savage as their foes feared them to be.

Perhaps they were shaped by what they saw, and who commanded them. Dain knew for a fact he was able to be a cruel bastard when his family was threatened. Those thoughts lingered, but beyond all of that, he saw something else. Like a silver string hanging in the midst of the dream-scapes, it called his attention to it and nearing it, he felt his consciousness fade for a moment to then awake, facing another, now _alone _amidst the stars, without his family, without his allies, only facing this one stranger. This one person he didn't know. Then the voice spoke to him.

O O O Dain's Dream O O O

"Who are you?"

"I am Dain. I am the Patriarch of the Swarm on the world of Prime."

"I am Hector, consciousness of the Swarm of Dreyparx."

"How did this happen?"

"I don't know. You have just as much of a clue as I do."

"Are we near each other? I have never felt your presence before."

"Nor I yours. Do you think we will ever meet in person?"

"I wouldn't doubt it as a possibility. Perhaps we were meant to find each other."

"It will take time. My swarm numbers only a hundred strong, and I have yet to see anything that will fly other than my Overlords."

"One hundred? My swarm barely numbers thirty!"

"Thirty? Why have you not built up your forces more?"

"Haven't had the time. I have Protoss and humans around, causing some trouble."

"I haven't seen Protoss yet but it's not like I have no enemies here. Just thinking you need to build up your forces."

"I intend to, I lost some Zerglings defending my territory earlier. The trouble is I got limited income."

"The swarm is adaptable, that's one of its beauties. Find something they can convert to extra energy."

"I'll try. I am mostly interested in evolving my swarm further however, because I am not used to lacking Hydralisks this long."

"They are a powerful addition to the swarm. Getting them takes a little work though."

"I've noticed. I've mostly got Zerglings and now something called Roaches. I hope they'll help."

"Definitely, just make sure to keep them alive, if they are wounded, retreat them and burrow, that lets them heal and they will be back for more soon."

"Thanks for the advice. This is nothing like I remembered from home."

"Home?"

"Um, have you ever heard of a place called Earth, or Terra?"

"I have memories of it, yes. It's mostly a jumble, though. I do, however, have dreams."

"Dreams?"

"Yes. One of the most recurring ones is that of a person dying. He charges into a home, is shot at, and collapses to the ground, dead. I can't shake the feeling that the person in my dream is me."

"That's strange. I recall my life, although its blurry, when I was back on earth. Car accident. Some voice called out to me, and next thins I knew I was drawing breath, but my reflection was no longer my own. I'm not sure what caused this, but..."

"But what?"

"I like it. Its frightening, its exhilarating, its challenging, but it's also rewarding. I am still coming to understand the power, evolving my swarm ahead. Some of my swarm's members have shown themselves quite intelligent and logical, while others I believe are no more intelligent than a smart dog."

"I know the feeling. There are many dangerous beasts on my planet, and even the weakest of them pose a threat to anyone without magic, and even some with. With the Swarm at my command, I think that, with time, there would be no man or beast that could challenge me. But, I always go back to that first moment of power. The promise I made..."

"What promise?"

"I swore that I would protect my family. I don't know who or what gave me this power, but, for whatever reason, I received it so that I could protect my family. I said that I would do anything to protect them."

"Anything?"

"I realize that it was foolish, but I was unsure of what was real and what wasn't at that time. Now I wonder what it would want with me."

"Well, I am not sure if you are dreaming of me, or if I am dreaming of you, but this seems too real. Perhaps it is real, and just something we do not understand yet. Either way, we both command a swarm of our own. That makes you, at least in my eyes, part of the distant family at least."

"I appreciate the thought."

"As for the promises, I made a wish that I could have been with my family too. I think my host body's owner wished to be with his family a little longer too. I think that's a common theme between us. Either way, I understand your point. I'll say this once, because I believe you will not scold me for it."

"I'm listening."

"I'll do what it takes to protect my family. Even if it means burning this world to ashes so no-one can harm them, I will do what it takes. Its not my first choice, but compared to my family, these people don't matter so much to me anymore. I know there are good people, but there are also too many bad people. Too many monsters. If push comes to shove, I'll show this world called Prime that you do not want to piss off the Zerg."

"Then we both value our families. I wish we could talk longer, but I feel myself waking. However, before I leave you, allow me to give you some advice."

"What advice would you give me?"

"Hold on to your humanity. The Swarm is powerful, and power corrupts. Hold on to what makes you human, and treasure it above all else. If your humanity is lost, so are you."

"Do you speak of experience?"

"I lost my father and my youngest brother in an attack from raiders. When I had the chance for revenge... I caused heartbreak for 25 families who did nothing to me. I took fathers, just as they took mine. At the time, I felt it was justified, but when I saw the mutilated bodies of those corpses, It made me realize that, for a moment, we were one in the same."

"Thank you, Hector. I look forward to speaking with you again."

"As do I Dain. As do I."

O O O Awakened O O O

Dain's eyes shot open as he felt his body surging with heat, and a power building up fast. The chrysalis shattered with explosive force, showering the surroundings with the clear gel that had coated him during his evolution. Dain drew breath and shuddered. His whole body was pulsing with power, his arms and legs feeling buff and strong, the muscles in them following zerg physiology more than human one, muscular without looking the part too much, discrete but powerful.

Dain felt he could have lifted a grown man by the neck one-handed if he chose, and hardly break a sweat. His chest was firm, but only in tapping it did he realize his body held a sub-dermal armor of sorts. The zerg evolution had given him added protection. Tensing his arms he felt something rising up from his wrist towards his elbow. Like sharp spines under his skin, but he didn't feel a need to break them open. Obviously, he was becoming more dangerous, and less human, but at the same time he felt such a sacrifice was acceptable to protect his family.

The zerglings shrieked as they shattered their own shells, followed shortly by the drones and roaches. The overlord's shell was rupturing with a great ripping sound in the sky. The queen, meanwhile, punched through her shell's walls with her powerful legs and her hands tore the shell in two as she pulled herself free.

Dain looked at his swarm proudly, the purple-black carapaces smooth and finely polished. The blades looked sharp and perhaps a little longer. The roaches jaws moving till a few of them experimentally spat some of their acid out, showing a capability to hose one narrow target or spray freely ahead. The other zerg stayed clear out of their firing lane, but their experimentation was short-lived as they seemed satisfied with their capabilities.

It was then that Dain noticed a silence at the hatchery's site, the lack of noise that Vera and even Gem were making lately. He sent a few zerglings out to patrol the perimeter immediately, while assigning the overlord to an overwatch from height, and issuing the queen a standing order to protect the hatchery at all costs.

_Three hundred and fifteen bio-units in reserve. That meant the swarm had slumbered for two whole days. Not a particularly comforting thought. _Dain grimaced at the time, but also considering the options he had, he turned his gaze towards his hatchery, issuing a command.

_Begin morphing out one hundred zerglings. _It was time to begin. Dain had waited too long already. He'd find his mother, and burn anyone who would dare stand in his way. Whispering voices lingered in his mind, but one was above all others. _Protect your family._ Both the swarm, and his lineage would be safe, but woe be upon any that would threaten such.

"You are expending a lot of bio-energy on warriors all of a sudden, patriarch. Is something wrong?" The queen's voice was polite and friendly, but Dain knew she had access to his thought already. Perhaps it was her sort of kindness, letting him explain things out to her and perhaps make his own decisions clear to himself as well.

"We are going to protect the hive site, and I doubt the foe that comes next is going to be kind enough to let us build up and increase our defenses. Once we have warriors, we need drones, and I have a few ideas." A few thoughts had entered his mind. Old siege warfare relied on walls, and moats. He could use that. Instructing the drones to break the ground and create moats would not be an issue, and raising land and fortifying it with toughened creep would provide him with some walls. It would limit the ways he and his family could move, but ideally they would move by overlord's transportation later on.

"_We are going to need more overlords to control such vast numbers efficiently in battle, Patriarch. The zerg instincts are good, but they are meant for taking down a few foes, in a war that may be coming, more precise control over the swarm will be necessary."_ Dain nod his head to the queen, switching to the more comfortable hive-mind conversation almost naturally. Less of a concentrated effort, it was like talking with an accent now. He was aware of it, but it took very little effort and focus.

"Then overlords and drones will follow next. Along with our specialists." He smiled, thinking about the capabilities of the roaches and the hydralisks. He'd make sure to punish anyone bold enough to attack him with extreme prejudice. Dain wasn't going to permit someone to threaten him or his family.

Yet the new worry assaulted him. Where were Vera and Gem? They should have waited near the hatchery, and it was evident they had not been attacked during their slumber, either.

_Haven't I got enough trouble already? _He growled to himself frustrated at his situation.

OOOOOO

Happy Holidays, seeing as this chapter arrives this close to the end of the year. I'll see if I can squeeze together another chapter before the year changes, still, but I have had a bit of chaotic mood here at home for the last couple of days. Settling to a more predictable, steady pace by now though.

On some commentary I've not spoken much in reply to, then...

Kane, Tal'dan has indeed gained a bit of insight on human mind, but Tal'dan has far too much on his plate right now to really pay it more attention than to hide it from his forces. The protoss are not in an ideal situation at all and are undoubtedly feeling rushed. As for Vera's reactions, I'll have to keep that for myself for now I think? Suffice to say, I intend to show a few other humans trying to consume the creep in time, and what effects it may include.

Beyogi, glad to see you are following and apparently enjoying the tale. I'll keep on writing when I can, I've had my ups and downs but I try to keep up writing as its good practice and though I get some rather sharp pointed replies pointing out my flaws at times, I'll accept it as constructive criticism where I can. As for integration, I have my own ideas what comes about in time, but he's still fairly 'green' on Prime. He's only now starting to accelerate his motion.

Lord Edric, as you can see from preparations in this chapter I hope, there will be violence as the tale progresses. There's a fair bit of things I try out in this tale but battle is practically inevitable with the zerg. When the outcome is not in any kind of question, it may be skipped over fairly fast, but at other times, it can become quite graphic. Will have to see as it goes.


	17. Chapter 17: Walk in the Woods

Author's Note: I do not own Starcraft or any of the units portrayed within it. Starcraft is the property of Blizzard Entertainment, I only own my original creations. This is a work of fan fiction, existing entirely outside any canon material. This tale was inspired by reading "_The Zerg Swarm_" tale by _East Bridge._

**Chapter 17 – Walk in the Woods**

Watching his Swarm moving about, Dain felt proud. The twenty-five larva in the hatchery had already began to evolve into zerglings, and shortly after joined by another twenty-five. Though he now had some bio-energy to use, Dain was still limited in the total amount of larva a hatchery could provide for him in a single cycle, or a single day.

Evolution had enhanced that pace, allowing him to bring forth fifty larva in a cycle, but that still meant another day to get the other fifty up and running. Though the order had been given, and the hatchery was working as hard as it could to provide him with the warrior he had requested, this would take some time. Focusing his mind, he called up the details on the simple list form.

_Swarm Evolutionary Stage: Beta_

_Patriarch Bio-Energy: 0/500_

_Patriarch Bio-Genesis: 50/cycle_

_Swarm Bio-Energy: 115/2.500_

_-Reserved: 100be_

_Swarm Bio-Genesis: 100/cycle_

_-Hatcheries: 75/cycle_

_-Extractors: 25/cycle_

_Requirement for Evolution_

_+Lair, Queen, Swarm Warren_

_Structures available_

_Hatchery (100be), Evolution Chamber (200be), Spawning Pit (150be), Extractor (100be), Spine Crawler (100 be), Swarm Warren (300be), Lair (2.000be)_

_Breeds available_

_Zergling (2be), Baneling (Evolved, 1be), Roach (3be), Hydralisk (5be), Drone (2be), Overlord (5be), Overseer (Evolved, 5be) Queen (10be)_

The amount of bio-energy he gained each day had raised by fifty units. That wasn't that much, but it added one half of his previous amount of energy, but the next evolutionary step seemed far away, and the price for a lair was staggering. He wasn't sure what to think about that. Regardless, it seemed to him that it would probably have to wait until he had established a more secure foothold. Waiting that many days for the next evolution would have meant the same as giving up and accepting defeat.

The first of the zerglings breached their shells, and the moment they did, Dain walked over to them resting his hand on one zergling's head and then the next. They all gathered around him for a brief touch, seeming to take comfort in his presence, many of the minds surprisingly familiar, yet many more of them were new, eager and happy to serve. He nodded his head calmly to his new family members, but then turned his thoughts towards the overlord in the sky.

"_Any signs of my sister and Gem?"_ The reply was almost immediate, as the overlord seemed to make sure before it answered. _"The perimeter patrol located tracks near the river's mud."_ The thought made Dain grimace. The hatchery had undergone evolution, but it hadn't touched the spawning pit or the extractor much. They should have had access to fresh water and cooled food there. He wasn't sure what was going on, and that was alarming to someone that considered himself a Patriarch of the swarm. _"Locate them as quickly as possible. Permission to use all zerglings available as scouts. Leave the roaches for defense purposes to the Queen's command."_

Turning his attention to his queen, he focused his thoughts again. _"How is the fortification process going?" _The reply was not words, but a mental image of hard rock dragged from the soil by the drones, piled up, and then covered with thick layer of hardening creep, forming a simple enough carapace to the wall. The wall and the surrounding moat was taking shape, but it was a slow process. Four drones was hardly enough for this, strong as they might be. _"I'll get more drones as soon as I can. Right now, the zerglings take priority." _It was not questioned, simply accepted.

Still, Dain wondered about the matter. The queen and the overlord followed his instructions loyally, but he wondered if they'd have thoughts of their own to share about the situation or his tactics. Neither was replying at least, seeming to leave the decisions to him. He felt a brief, unspoken reassurance they would speak their mind if they felt it was necessary. They were loyal, but perhaps they deferred to him a touch too much. It was good to have their loyalty, but a little initiative wasn't bad to have.

Dain sat down and felt his senses fading from his own body only to float in the sea of sensations, feeling the rush of information from the different zerglings scattered to complete their task. His mind wandered briefly on the dream he had before, and several zerglings paused for a moment to stare at the sky, as if sharing his thoughts of whether or not there was more out in the stars to be found. The swarm then continued its search, with Dain pushing those wandering thoughts off of his mind.

The zerglings were spreading out to search for any signs of Vera or Gem with the overlord's watchful eyes spread through the forces. Dain waited quietly, observing calmly and thinking. A few beasts here and there, mostly minor ones, he did see a young lesser beast, a dire hound, but it was without any real pack as of yet at least. He remembered passingly about wanting to experiment with both harvesting the power in the beasts, as well as seeing if he could include some of them to his swarm in some fashion.

Now that he had an evolution chamber he had a feeling it would be possible to experiment with the idea, but he wasn't going to spend resources to that for now. He would first make sure things were secure before he would begin experimenting. Survival first, Dain reminded himself in a harsh manner.

The search continued for a few frantic minutes, but then the zerglings spotted a group of humans. Immediately alerting Dain and turning his attention towards the zergling that had spotted the intruders. Watching through its eyes, he could see a group of twenty humans. Not enough to be an attack force against him, but too much for a good scouting party. They were gathered around a fresh kill, a blood hog by the looks of it. They were in the area of the forest far enough from his hatchery they might have simply been out there hunting, and none of their gear suggested they were from Ravenrock.

That wasn't enough to calm Dain down though. He told the zergling there to watch over the group but not approach, while having the other zerglings continue their search, leaving the overlord standing instructions to attack and subdue the group if they did anything to attack his zergling, but to refrain from killing where possible. In the meanwhile, information on Vera and Gem was more important.

The search continued for a while, but eventually a zergling heard a strange noise from up high. Turning its gaze up, it came to see Gem and Vera sitting in a tree, with Vera's hand patting the bark. The zergling's excited chirping and clacking brought Dain's attention to the location, and he grimaced. They were dangerously close to the hunters. That wasn't good.

He couldn't really speak through a zergling though, so he turned his attention to the queen. "I have to go where my sister is. Protect the location, have all the zerglings and roaches eat up and keep them ready. I got a feeling things can turn ugly soon." He set out on his own, marching towards the stream and past the preliminary work on the walls. The drones were working fast, building up stone and soil barrier before coating it with chemical that encouraged creep to rise up and cover it swiftly.

Dain briefly wondered if it was possible to accelerate the growth of larva safely as well sometime. He'd have to study the variety of ways the swarm could advance now that he had the evolution chamber available. For now, there was far too many things on his mind for him to focus on any one of them for long. The threats all around him, he had to keep moving. He had to first get a solid defensive ground before he could think about expanding, advancing and so forth. Dain needed a solid shield and territory where he had complete control.

Cursing to himself silently he strode through the forest pushing branches out of the way as he advanced. The zerglings were retreating back to the hatchery, protecting the location fiercely. Seventy-six zerglings by now. Tomorrow he'd have another fifty zerglings added to that. Dain was tempted to just gather sixty six zerglings on the spot and send them off along with the overlord and the five roaches to hunt for the slavers. He wasn't sure how far the slavers may have already gotten, but unlike them, the zerglings hardly needed to rest.

To do that, he needed Gem. She would be able to point out the right direction. He needed Vera to be safe too. He needed his family to stand together and face these threats with him. He would protect them but he could not do it alone. The sole reason he had taken this up was to be with his family longer. He had a nasty feeling that if his family was gone, his voice would quiet little by little as well, giving room to the zerg aspect of him. That would spell disaster to all other life on the world of Prime, he thought to himself grimly.

_All the more reason to make sure that it never comes to that. _Dain told himself to calm down as he reached the area where Vera and Gem had been earlier, spotting them still in the tree. Looking at the sheepish grin on Vera's face he felt a bit aggravated. "Do you realize just how worried I was when I didn't see you back at the hatchery when I awoke?"

"Do you realize there is a group of soldiers near here that have been trying to find your hounds and capture one for study for a day now?" The reply made Dain blink. These men were here to capture one of his zergs? No doubt they were from the Ravenrock after all then. Perhaps their foe intended to study one of them and find how to kill them before attacking in number. Well, that might take more than a scouting party to pull off, but they were still loud and noisy.

"Hmmh. I'm tempted to let them capture one." Dain smirked cruelly. It would just take a little power to store the energy necessary for morphing into a baneling into the zergling's body, to send it off. That would also let him spy on the enemy while they tried to figure out his beasts. However, as tempting as that was he doubted he'd see more than a laboratory of some sort, and the sages or doctors assigned to the task of studying his beasts.

It would deny him a surprise on the battlefield too. It also meant surrendering one of his family to the enemy hands long enough for them to reach Ravenrock. While his zerglings likely would not have objected, trusting his judgement, he felt such a tactic was one he would refuse to use, at least for now. If he knew the enemy leader wanted to study one of his beasts personally, he might have. The off-chance of blowing up the head of the Ravenrock's organization seemed tempting, but it was a long shot that would likely not pay off.

"Don't. Those people are monsters. They take whatever edge they can get, and even if you think you might get one of your beasts loose in their city they'd just barricade away anyone important. The only people you would be able to truly hurt then would be the civilians." Vera's voice was worried, but Dain's smile and nod seemed to at least reassure her somewhat. While he was a master of monsters, he was not a true monster within. Not yet at least, he thought to himself grimly again. He needed his anchor, his tether to his human side. He was not entirely sure but he was willing to bet that part of him would be lost without his family.

"I won't. I can't let them keep wandering near here. That still doesn't explain-" Dain began to speak when Gem awkwardly laughed. "I- I used a little magic earlier. Tried to find out about the surroundings. I felt their approach, or their adept's approach at least, and uh, I felt it was best if I tried to delay them. Little attacks from beasts driven wild by a bit of blood sprinkled around, the smell of blood hog flesh around where they were bound to roam. Didn't expect another enraged blood hog to attack, I had hoped for some hounds. Also uh, they were still coming strong so I tried to get spotted and run away. Its just that Vera had followed me."

At this point Vera dropped down from the tree. The fall was enough it should have hurt, but she landed gracefully and straightened her back like she'd just dropped off a table, not a fall that was liable to break a bone or two in her legs. That ease she moved with made Dain briefly wonder just how much of humanity remained within his family now, and how little there might be in the future. They were both changing. Perhaps Gem would be, too.

"I saw Gem head out and saw her causing some trouble. I wasn't sure why at first but the group was going to the direction of our camp, and I thought if they find you still sleeping there's a real risk that they are going to break the eggs, chop the buildings, and chain us two." Vera gestured between herself and Gem. "So I thought I'd help her. I have kept appearing, and disappearing from sight near them all day, playing a form of 'tag'. Even their adept couldn't keep up with me." She sounded more than a little smug about this.

_So they had been buying time for him and his brood. _Dain considered his options, before finally making his decision. These men were after his death, and his family's death. He could not allow that to happen. Ultimately, their mission was aimed to discover their weaknesses and to help the foe defeat them. It was not personal, they were soldiers doing their duty, but they had to have known the risks on setting out.

_Overlord. We have enemies approaching us, and I want this forest to belong to the swarm. I want this land to belong to the swarm. These people would hunt us, and they would seek to study and kill us. This cannot be. I want you to do something for me now._

O O Gem O O

While Dain rubbed his chin thinking of something quietly Gem carefully climbed down from the tree, feeling exhausted from her part in the little adventure. It had cut far too close for her already. Her magic was largely spent in trying to distract the group of men, and without Vera she might have even ended up a prisoner to them. Thankfully, Vera had showed up with her speed and agility seeming to confound the enemy.

Gem had not seen that level of speed and precise movement in a human before though. Adepts tended to improve themselves in some ways, but most Adepts at Ravenrock focused on becoming a brick, tough as one and hurting as much as getting one in your face. The Ravenrock's forces were strong and tough when it came to their adepts, other sorts of adepts were a touch more marginalized, though some were given a position in the scout groups. Like the lad before, she thought worriedly.

This time, they had sent an adept with strength, perhaps to help wrestle one of these new hounds that Dain had to the ground so it could be secured and bound. If so, the enemy underestimated the forces here. Still, Vera was changing, and so was Dain.

On that thought she looked at him. He looked as if he had matured over a few nights, grown somewhat taller, his hair darker still, his body somewhat more fitting for combat. It also looked as if he had gained a few years of maturity in his looks. Somehow there was a presence of a more _reliable_ person about him.

The length of time she had kept looking at him made her pause and quickly avert her gaze then. What was she thinking? She scolded herself for doing that. She had her part to do in securing her own freedom, she had hope Dain might change things in Ravenrock, but certainly she hadn't looked at him like _that _before. He was a friendly man and cared for his family, but he could be also remarkably cold towards her when he reminded her to keep her part of the deal.

Well, given how Prime was, Gem really couldn't blame him for being at least a little suspicious. She hadn't shown her face at first either, or told the whole story. Maybe they had both got off a bit on the wrong foot. But still, she hadn't thought on it for a bit, and yet now, looking at him, she couldn't help but think it all over.

He had changed during his slumber, and Gem suddenly worried this same 'loyalty' his beasts and sister seemed to show him was starting to affect her as well. It had to be, wasn't it? Maybe, but then again he had agreed to help her out and had just come to help them out again. She wasn't really sure. The whole matter was complicated.

O

This took a while to get together, but here goes the 17th chapter. 18th is underway, as is 19th as well. I have had trouble finishing any of these chapter properly, but in turn I got a lot more writing already half-done, and hope to wrap them up and post the other parts up soon as well.

To answer a bit of questions in the meanwhile then:

Lord Edric, the other Patriarch mentioned in the story is Hector from the story Swarm Lord. The bit of crossover dream is present in both stories, I had creative difficulties and my own part was a lot later than he posted his own, but Hector as a Swarm Lord has been an interesting, different read for me and I wanted to have a chance to have Dain speak with someone else and get a helpful advise from someone who shares his fate in a strange way, to understand a few things that needed to be said.

Aku Tenshi, I have a fair bit of plots in my mind that I am not at liberty to discuss just yet without spoiling surprises, but there is supposed to be a bit of romance in time, but it has been pushed back to make room for the Zerg development and the ongoing struggles, but it is in the plans before the end. I originally started with a 'neverending story' as a sort of goal, but since then I've altered that goal so the story does have an ending in mind in time, which has also helped set out some goals I want to get written at that point. As for the question of Hector, see the reply to Edric, above.

Yoshtar, I have my own share of thoughts on infestation, hybridization, as well as assimilation. These themes may or may not come to play a part in the story at some point.

Beyogi, thanks for the encouragement.

Kane, your reply was back for 15th chapter but still, I thought I'd bring that up a bit. I have thoughts in mind for what is to come, but the ideas you present aren't bad. Still, I will write the story along and reveal things little by little.

Thanks for all who are reading this, and hope you find amusement in reading this as I do in writing this.


	18. Chapter 18: Spilled Blood

Author's Note: I do not own Starcraft or any of the units portrayed within it. Starcraft is the property of Blizzard Entertainment, I only own my original creations. This is a work of fan fiction, existing entirely outside any canon material. This tale was inspired by reading "_The Zerg Swarm_" tale by _East Bridge._

**Chapter 18 – Spilled Blood**

Dain had kept busy for the last hour. Once he had been back at the hatchery with Vera and Gem he had entrusted Gem with searching for his mother's location for a while, before making his decision. From the seventy-six zerglings he had present he could only afford to send some after his mother if the foe had actually reached this close to his hatchery, but then again the longer he took the longer the slavers would have to get away. It was already been far longer than he had wanted it to be, but he had been pushed to build up his strength before and even now it seemed he had hardly enough to spare.

Still, he had made a promise to himself. No less than half of his zerglings would be sent out by now, and he'd send more when he had the chance. His decision made, he entrusted a group of fourty-six zerglings with the task of finding his mother. The overlord had passed his instructions to the queen earlier about their defense plan, and the Patriarch felt somewhat confident in his ability to tackle this foe even with his diminished numbers. As the overlord began to fade in the distance at the direction that Gem had given him, Dain turned his attention back to the matters at hand.

Thirty zerglings and five roaches did not make for a massive defense, but twenty zerglings, five roaches and ten banelings would let him give the foes a lesson they would not survive. He had hesitated about tipping his hand about banelings but the simple answer was to refuse to let even one of his enemies escape from his grasp when he struck.

"Dain?" Vera's voice interrupted his thoughts, and he turned to face his little sister with a smile on his face. "Don't worry. We will be safe here. I had to send some of the zerglings after mother by now, but I have a plan." Rather than look frightened or worried though, Vera showed him a nervous smile. "I am sure it will turn out well, but uh, they keep coming here over and over. Could it be possible to raise a new camp elsewhere? I don't mean abandoning this, but you know, a hiding place to run to in case we get defeated here someday?"

That wasn't really a bad idea, but Dain didn't have the manpower yet to send off an expedition to start up a new cluster elsewhere. "I think you make a lot of sense with that. Tell you what, I'll consider it in a day or two, but first we need warriors to defend ourselves and then we can see about how we can continue." He kissed her forehead and ruffled her hair, trying to keep her spirits up. She wasn't fooled though, her expression showed she knew he was concerned. She did have a bit of an ability to pick up on how he felt, Dain sighed silently. If only he knew just how well Vera could do that actually.

Gem was resting, already exhausted from the play of cat-and-mouse with the soldiers in the forest, but it was his time to show what he could do instead. The zerglings had already reported contact, having allowed two of his zerglings to appear in the forest rushing along towards his hatchery, his primary hive cluster.

He wanted to engage his enemy on his own terms, and the best way to do that right now was to draw them into a trap. The zergling 'bait' was leading them through a thick vegetation, the sticky, tall grass slowing them down as they moved ahead cutting their path through the forest where as the zerglings could use their sharp claws to hold onto rough surfaces they jumped at and bounce off without losing momentum, allowing them to far outrun their enemies in the territory they were crossing.

It might have been possible to strike his enemy out there in the thick woods, but they were alert, and despite how agile the zerglings were, they still had more narrow paths of attack there and the foes had more strength in them than agility this time around. Attacking head on might prove disastrous. For that reason, Dain would need to strike only when he was certain of his timing, and when he did, it would need to be decisive victory.

The group was covering ground steadily, and getting closer. If they reached his hatchery, Dain had no illusions about what would happen. They would likely try and snatch a zergling if it was possible, as that was their mission, but if they saw a chance to do more harm and escape, they would likely try and do so in pursuit of a bigger reward. That was the impression he was getting from these people, based on what Gem had been willing to share.

They reached the stream, and would be able to see along the stream where the creep's edge reached. Starting their way towards the hatchery, and moving onto the few trees already bonded to the creep. The trees were receiving the creep's support in drawing minerals, but likewise their production was partially claimed by the creep in turn. The trees were stronger and more advanced by now, but at the same time they too had become dependent on the creep. Once they had adapted, they would be unable to prosper without creep's aid.

The soldiers looked curious about the trees, and the faint purple 'moss' growing on parts of their trunks, but what curiosity they had for their surroundings passed quickly as they focused themselves again. They were either disciplined or scared enough to not let themselves get distracted from survival.

Moving ahead in a slow pace they were crossing distance. They would see the hatchery soon, there was just a small area before the clearing, the few sparse trees around it that had began to change after making contact with the creep still standing in their path. They were tense, but looking ahead, and starting to cross that sparse bit of woods, they focused their attention ahead, where their objective would be.

Dain's eyes remained close as he stood besides his queen at the shadow of the hatchery. The enemy was approaching, and in their first steps to the sparse woods he felt them cross over the buried banelings. He felt their steps as they moved forth upon his creep, step by step advancing towards his hatchery. Dain silently considered his options once more. He could try and take some alive, if the situation made it possible. He could try and disarm and surround them. That would likely result in massive casualties and kill most of the surprise value. He could also let them approach and face them directly.

While he was confident in his new abilities, he was far from suicidal. He was ready to lead from the front if necessary, but dying without meaning was wasteful, and he very much preferred to stay alive. He lost time when he died, and that could come back to haunt him sometime. So, as before, the decision was already made.

"Game set. Start."

O O O Warriors O O O

The soldiers were nervous as they moved forth, following the commands of their leaders, Mara and Jan. They were both competent commanders, but tended to work better together than separated. It was Akil's report that had set them all on this path, and the soldiers felt more and more worried as they advanced. No amount of rewards would be worth marching blindly to their deaths, and they were keeping on their toes with each step. Well, most of them. The twelve elites had received the two commanders to their unit shortly after Akil's return, without Lord Husan. Soon after that, six more soldiers were transferred to their unit, to bolster their strength for this given task.

The new additions had done nothing to aid in their morale though. They were proud for being the best, but these newcomers were new, and made small mistakes. The commanders had said their purpose was mainly to help keep watch at nights and so forth so they would be fresh for the conflict when it would inevitably come, but that didn't calm them.

"Hold up a sec. I want you two to scout ahead." The taller of their commanders, Jan spoke up at the time. He was known as a man you didn't want to upset. The soldiers had known his whip's strikes on failed tasks before, but also knew Jan to be one to reward his men well when they succeeded.

The two soldiers that had been assigned to scout ahead, both of them veterans, began to advance in a steady step towards the edge of the trees, and the start of the clearing where Husan and Akil had run into these beasts. They had hoped to find some elsewhere, but no such luck. Perhaps the foes had abandoned the area, but they doubted that had happened.

As the two of them made their way towards the treeline, they felt a chill along their back. It was natural for them to trust their instincts. They might not flee on the spot when something dangerous was around, but they didn't dismiss fear either. It gave them a rush they needed sometimes, and it warned them.

Looking up at a small crack above, the two of them were greeted to a sight of two beasts with purple flesh hanging from the branches, and then letting go as they gazed up at them. Before they had a chance to shout their alarm, the beasts slammed them down on the ground and grasped on their necks. Tight squeeze, and they were struggling for air, trying to shake off the large beasts. They had sharp claws and teeth and could have killed them on the spot. Instead they strangled those two, up until they blacked out, only to drag them away then.

The others waited for a short while, before continuing to advance, looking for their scouts worriedly. No more separating from the group was allowed. They moved ahead, step by step, until they too neared the clearing's edge. "Alright men, we came here to catch one of the beasts if we could, and kill some of them and bring one back if it wasn't possible to capture one alive. Now, we've come close to where they were last seen, without any signs of them further off, although we have seen those two infuriating women darting in and out of the woods. They may have laid down a surprise ahead of us, so I want everyone ready."

After a short series of nods, the commanders lead their remaining men ahead, each commander heading forth with eight men following them. All of them aware of the fact they were about to walk into the lair of a monster here, and that the last group had only had one survivor. Not one of them turned to flee, but none of them felt at ease.

O O O Back at the Hatchery O O O

"Have the two of them securely bound. I'll have a word with them later. In the meanwhile I hope everyone is ready." Dain addressed his Queen seriously, watching her caressing the hatchery's side as he listened to its calming melody as well. The eerie music put him at ease, but it also reminded him of what he fought for. Vera was his family, but so were the zerg now, and he wanted to raise all those who fell in battle today back to life soon.

"Everything is in place. The outer ring is prepared, the inner ring is waiting." Dain knew this as well as the Queen did, but she was orchestrating their defenses, and he relied on her skill. He still felt she actually looked like a queen in a strange way, her human-half seated as if on a throne atop the zerg-half of her. There was something regal in her, but he wondered just how humane some zerg might become under his guidance. Given the thought of someone similar to Kerrigan, it was a scary thought he wasn't too eager to witness, but at the same time, he was interested in the possibility.

"Enemy is almost on inner ring." The words came, and Dain silently closed his eyes. Surrendering himself to the sensations, he reached out to all the minds of his swarm, and focused on observing, while whispering to the swarm with pride. _"Make me proud."_

The first group of soldiers barely had time to shout in alarm as the ground burst open to reveal a row of insect-like beasts with purple carapace and glowing green veins along their bulged bodies, that shine becoming more intense. A shout of warning rose in the air, and Mara leaped back, over his forces, though landing on his back with a slam rather than gracefully on his legs. His soldiers were not so lucky.

The baneling explosion of three loyal warriors of the swarm immediately turned the well trained troops into screaming victims with their flesh melting off their form, the shrapnel of the baneling form piercing deep wounds into some of them as well. None of the first group of soldiers survived without severe acid burns, and five of the eight in the first group had died before three seconds were up.

The ground burst open behind them and revealed the jaws of a dozen zerglings shrieking and leaping into the air to shred apart the remaining three and their commander, while the second group's commander Jan had already issued his order to move in to assist his allies. The soldiers in the second group charged while shouting to strengthen their resolve.

Dain almost felt guilty as the second set of explosions erupted among them. Running to the aid of the first group, the second one crossed where two other banelings lay in wait, decimating their numbers, adding another four casualties, and wounding the second commander. The enemy was caught off its feet, and Dain intended to press his advantage.

The zerglings landed on the still somewhat stunned Mara, and before the large man managed to pull himself to his feet a scythe blade struck on the man's arm, causing a deep cut but not breaking the limb. That was a nasty reminder that the zerg might be powerful, but the adepts were far from easy targets still. The muscles on the man were hard as rock, and the pain seemed to wake him from his stunned state. With a roar, the man grasped the zergling's limb and just yanked it clean off, causing a shriek of pain from his zergling in turn.

Not planning to give the foe time to really recover completely though, the Queen had the wave of zerglings descend upon the man and tear away at his flesh with their teeth and claws. Their numbers wore away some of the man's strength certainly, but the others were nearing quickly as well.

While his numbers were already limited, he had wanted to leave some into an 'outer ring' further off from the hatchery to serve as a nasty surprise for any foes that chose to flee, in order to stop them from escaping and giving away any new information about him. Still, he had to make sure this battle was won, and even with their diminished numbers the soldiers still seemed intent on fighting.

Then again, he had left some troops up closer to the hatchery in wait as well, and those had little to do since the foe had not decided to charge up at the hatchery as he had expected they might when they saw the first group shaken up by his surprise. "Take them down, capture any that surrender, but don't hesitate to strike down any that fight back." Dain's words felt heavy to him. These people were doing their duty, but at the same time, he had a duty of his own towards his family.

The shrieks of six more zerglings drew the enemy's gaze up higher up along the clearing's terrain towards the small 'hill' there at the middle upon which stood the apparent source of this strange ground, and these monsters. More beasts were charging in on the already worn and wounded soldiers, and behind them two more of those green-tinted beasts that had exploded earlier already harming their numbers greatly. That was before they found themselves staring at the roaches, these new foes looking like a true hellbeast, armored with thick plates of some sort on their bodies, and looking every bit as vicious as the zerglings, except even larger.

The morale among the men was shaken, and the appearance of new foes drove a few of the men to turn and flee, even as Jan shouted 'cowards' and worse after them. Yet the two wounded commanders and the four remaining soldiers turned to face the swarm bravely, raising their weapons and going to battle. Dain saw none of them were intent to surrender, none of them were intent to give in. Perhaps they feared this inhumane foe too much for that.

He considered stepping onto the battlefield as well, before witnessing Mara crush another one of his zerglings, and Jan's fists hitting the ground hard with a shock-wave running along the ground towards his charging forces, causing a few zerglings to slip and fall, seemingly stunned by the impact. The foes were still fighting back.

The outer ring gave him a brief response about the fleeing trio. Two of them had been pounced down by the zerglings there, one had slipped past and ran right into the remaining two roaches there. The acid spray had left them with no runaways, and now four captives. Dain looked at his queen quietly and nod, clenching his hand into a fist before her.

"As you command, Lord Patriarch." The zerglings retreated somewhat, forming a ring around the enemies, the roaches standing near them to watch the gathering, and the two banelings on opposite sides of the group watching them quietly. Staring his descent down the hill, Dain felt his blood heating up.

"I congratulate you and your men. You have found us. Now, I believe your orders were to capture one of my people? I am truly sorry, but I cannot permit that. You see, this swarm does not intend to let agents of Ravenrock walk away with one of their numbers." Dain's words came out in a polite tone of voice like talking to a friend, and he was smiling, but the smile did not reach his eyes. He would permit the foes a chance to speak, but if they did not take it, the banelings would close in, and the roaches would do their duty. That much should be clear to his enemies by now already as well.

"Lay down your weapons, and submit yourselves to be bound. I do not wish for more death this day, but I am not going to hesitate if you force my hand." Hoping they would see reason and choose life over death, Dain waited. Mara's lips parted, and the commander spoke a briefly, a few words in a whisper.

The soldiers stood, and raised their blades. "Stars above, pit below." Dain grimaced, and nod his head slightly. "I salute you then, brave warriors. Go to your ancestors with honor." He didn't have to give a signal. The banelings began to move in and the soldiers charged at the zerglings, moving towards him. The explosions killed off the remaining warriors besides the two adepts that moved ahead, kicking aside zerglings in their path despite the deep cuts they received. Sprays of acid landing on their backs caused grunts and expressions of pain but like the pain wasn't even there they pushed on towards him, both of them raising their blades for a killing blow. Dain's eyes narrowed, and he sighed quietly.

"Mind-break."

The Queen's immense will immediately shook through Jan's body and he screamed in horror, bleeding through his eyes and ears as the psychic lashing the queen was throwing at the adept hammered in with every bit of force the swarm mustered and directed through the queen. All that anger at the intruders, all that protective instinct calling them to fight, that indomitable will of so many members of the swarm directed in one mental lance.

Jan fell on his knees and collapsed. His body was still intact, but it was a beaten shell, his mind torn apart by the psychic whipping. That only left Mara who was closing the gap, shoving the last zergling out of his way and raising his blade.

Dain's right arm rose, and the skin between his wrist and his elbow parted to reveal bony blades as they pushed forth, sharp spikes angled towards his elbow. He blocked the first strike directly, his left hand rising already and driving a fist into the man's stomach. The man managed to cough blood on him and raise the sword to attempt a thrust next, but Dain's right arm lowered swiftly as well and slammed the back of his arm into the man's chest. The spikes hit home with force, and though his arm ached from the effort of piercing the tough man so, the strike did its job. The life left the man's eyes as Dain pulled his arm back. The devastation was like that of a shotgun blast up close. Wiping his arm-spikes clean with his left hand's fingers, he looked at the dead and shook his head.

"You chose your path, and followed it to the end. Rest in peace now. Your masters will soon join you." Turning his back at the slaughter, he gave the roaches his last order for this battle. Soaking the remnants in the acid and letting the remnants soak the ground beneath. He wasn't going to let the enemy get even one survivor's statements of the events here. He had four prisoners to interrogate later. For now, it was time to count his losses and prepare for the next move.

They hadn't denied being from Ravenrock. They hadn't quite admitted it either. The same saying as the two warriors had used before was enough for now, he would find out more when he had a chat with the captives.

OOOOOO

Alright, a little more text for everyone here. I am working on chapter 19 and got most of it written down, but I am trying to get the ending of it right. Just as I had to think through how to write the descriptions for the battle above, I have some matters to settle with the next chapter to come.

To Beyogi, yes he has banelings and he is using them now. He's also got his hands on the burrowing ability by now, unlocked by the evolution so far. I hope the above chapter was an interesting bit of writing to read, I got more in the works and am curious to hear what you have in your mind to ask.

Kane, I got ideas to come, and Dain has gained the ability to assimilate more to his swarm by now, but there's a lot to be seen still. I don't want to give out spoilers, and frankly, while the 'framework' of what happens is there, I like to allow the story to build up a bit more along the way, still.

Akuma-Heika, you have been replying in a quick pace to my earlier chapters now it seems, catching up? Its been interesting to see what you have had to say. I cannot really reply much to the backlog of earlier chapters, there's a fair bit of it, but suffice to say with the latest evolution Dain's getting out 50 larvas a day instead of the earlier 25. I have it on my notes, I suppose I didn't make it clear anywhere in the text though.

Also, he's receiving bio-energy from himself as a patriarch, from his hatchery, and from his extractor now. So he has a few sources of energy by now. As for the matter of Hector, no he doesn't call himself Patriarch, that was bit of my writing.

I am working on the 19th chapter, I got a fair share of things on mind for chapters to come, and we'll see. I'm open to questions for most part. As for the matter of romance, its been delayed as is, and I have seen some rather serious flaws in my character-writing already. I've sought to improve on that, but lets just say we'll have to all see how it goes.


	19. Chapter 19: Hatching Plans

Author's Note: I do not own Starcraft or any of the units portrayed within it. Starcraft is the property of Blizzard Entertainment, I only own my original creations. This is a work of fan fiction, existing entirely outside any canon material. This tale was inspired by reading "_The Zerg Swarm_" tale by _East Bridge._

**Chapter 19 – Hatching Plans**

Three banelings, five roaches, and fifteen zerglings stood before the Queen, resting after the battle. Dain had his captives securely held at the evolution chamber, the drones already sent back to work with the walls. There were no perimeter patrols held right now, because while the Queen was good at ordering the defense of the hatchery site in close proximity, actually better than an overlord's timing was, there was still the matter of fact an overlord's aerial view and multi-tasking mind could work out at a larger range and that kind of control was quiet helpful in speeding up the orders and making sure things were carried out correctly.

Dain himself was resting with his back to the hatchery, listening to the song it held, the minds within waiting to be born into this world once more. Yet without his overlord he felt a strain. The overlord was now further off, and he had a feeling that he'd come to need more overlords. Giving orders was still fair, but the amount of information his senses received was still somewhat overwhelming.

Overlords seemed capable of filtering out this information for what was relevant to him, and aiding him in keeping the control without being distracted by million and one little things that were hardly important in the grand scale. The queen was able to help some, but her abilities lay in battle and keeping the hatchery's site running optimally.

Now that the threat was over, at least apparently, Gem and Vera were at the spawning pit bathing in the pools of water. That thought lead him to consider the matter of supply. Creep drew minerals from the soil, and was capable of using the larger plants photosynthesis capabilities to some extent, but all of that had its limits. Even gathering the energy from sunlight itself was an option but it would take a lot of energy and effort to try and create something that would be able to utilize that properly. Perhaps some form of creep colony, he briefly considered.

The swarm was still producing more than it was consuming, but he wasn't sure if he'd hit a cap at some point, and end up paying some form of 'upkeep' to keep more of the swarm in a limited area. That seemed a possibility, but he wasn't quite convinced it was so, not just yet at least. So far, the swarm seemed capable of subsisting with what he was gaining from the land, and gaining strength to deal with these threats he had all around him.

Sighing heavily and rubbing his forehead Dain grimaced at his scattered thoughts. He had to worry about Ravenrock and Gem. He had to worry about Vera and whether or not he would find his mother alive and well. He had to wonder what things would be like after that. There was the pressure of dealing with the protoss before they would become a bigger threat. While he wasn't particularly happy with his situation, he was at least feeling hopeful that they were at least changing for the better.

Vera's words about setting up a backup site still echoed in his mind, but he had no spare overlords to devote to the task. That meant waiting a little, even though he did have the energy still to set up a second hatchery further off somewhere. He had also considered the option of adding a new hatchery to his present location at some point to help with both acquiring more larva daily but perhaps increasing his bio-genesis. Though he had a nagging feeling that it wasn't quite that simple.

That would have to wait, he told himself quietly. He had to raise more forces to protect his family, his brood. The swarm was capable, frighteningly so in the right conditions, but the foes were also able to pull off some nasty tricks. He silently regretted not being able to take the enemy commanders alive, but that was, at least with already weakened forces, a thought he wasn't too eager to try out.

There was the matter of his prisoners as well. He didn't believe that rank-and-file soldiers would know anything particularly useful, and trying to fish for some useless pieces of information wouldn't help much either. These weren't people he could befriend. He had slaughtered their allies, and his forces were monstrous to most people's eyes. Since their capture, the two of them had each been placed into a cocoon that would keep them still, other than their head, making it far harder for them to even attempt to escape.

O O O Two Days Later O O O

Sixty-five zerglings kept watch around the primary hive site's location and the five roaches and three banelings lay awaiting near the hatchery, burrowed down out of sight and out of mind. Dain had spent the last day trying to get anything useful out of the two soldiers, but anything they could tell him was things that Gem could have told him as well. Capturing rank-and-file wasn't worth the effort, he was forced to conclude.

They weren't high enough in the command chain to be warranted information that he could have considered useful, and as such, they were fairly useless to him. He wasn't keen on letting them go either though, given the fact they would likely be sent to fight him again or simply executed for failing on their return. Although the enemy might be able to pull some information out of them about his hive site, and that was another good reason to not let them go.

The hatchery was singing its song for overlords, with three bulging eggs awaiting outside the hatchery now. When he had ordered his first one to be spawned, the larva had spawned from within the hatchery itself, but with an order for several, it seemed that it was easier to simply allow them to form their shells outside for the spawning process.

"Patriarch, now that the evolution chamber has been completed it would be best to consider where you want the swarm's evolution to aim for." The Queen's voice brought him out of his thoughts, interrupting his walk along the perimeter. "There's a lot of work to be done, but I am considering my options." He looked over at the wall that was slowly rising up along the outer edge of the clearing, with the ten drones working on the wall with care.

Six new drones, fifty zerglings, and three overlords. That was the amount his swarm had gained in numbers in these two days, the zerglings born yesterday by the time he was done questioning his captives, and six drones at the dawn of this day, when he felt it was best to get back to work with his fortification plans.

_Swarm Evolutionary Stage: Beta_

_Patriarch Bio-Energy: 50/500_

_Patriarch Bio-Genesis: 50/cycle_

_Swarm Bio-Energy: 188/2.500_

_Swarm Bio-Genesis: 100/cycle_

_-Hatcheries: 75/cycle_

_-Extractors: 25/cycle_

While Dain could have hatched more zerg for his brood, he was considering the best use for the remaining larva for the day. Of course he didn't have to have all his new larva morph to zerg forces, but it felt like a smart idea to consider his options carefully. Once he had the necessary overlords to help maintain the control he needed to wield, he would see about what else would come in time.

"Patriarch, if the attacks by these human adversaries trouble you, the swarm will stand ready to destroy them." The queen saw his expression and could no doubt feel his reaction to her suggestion, her deceptively human lips parting from their calm smile to continue. "Just a suggestion, and I do not mean you would have to destroy all of the humans on your mind. Simply the ones leading them against you." Well, it was a thought, and he had to admit not a bad one, but pulling that off didn't seem like an easy thing to try.

"As quick and agile as zerglings can be, they are not exactly stealthy. Neither are roaches, banelings or hydralisks for that matter. I doubt even you would be able to pass unnoticed there." The smile on the queen was starting to worry him a little, actually.

"Then command us to evolve, Patriarch. With the right material, and a bit of time to test out the best option, the evolution chamber would allow us to develop that which you would wish for right now. Your ideal spy, or messenger if need be." That suggestion caught his attention. Though the games he knew in his previous life painted Zerg as a force able to overrun foes by sheer numbers, he could see the benefits of sending in a spy beforehand that could provide him with some information.

"Interesting, and it might work." He silently thought back at Vera and Gem. They might not approve of what he had in mind. Yet his prisoners had already sought to escape several times, and defied him even during his questioning, despite their fear of the unknown surroundings they had. If the swarm needed to sample human form to get closer to it, they might be candidates for that. Yet he found the idea distasteful, sacrificing human lives to experimentation. It might have been efficient, but yet he felt at least _some _amount of mercy towards the soldiers that simply followed their commanders to battle.

"Patriarch, did we need to kill anyone to gain as much as we have?" The queen's words interrupted his thoughts once again, as she pressed a hand on her bare breast. Well, not entirely bare, at his command and some time spent in the evolution chamber, she had grown what he'd consider a 'scale corset' to cover up in. Though it was, for some reason, one which the queen enjoyed removing from time to time, a retractable shield protecting her more human-like half in the battlefield had its place. Regardless, the queen had some rather obvious human traits about her.

"You and your sister are already linked to the swarm. When you accepted to become our Patriarch, your sister was from the beginning meant to follow you, protected as the swarm is, to keep your family safe. The swarm in turn learned more of the human form, even as the swarm has sought to aid you become more powerful, the underlying base form is remembered. If it would serve our Patriarch's benefits, we could seek to combine the base form with the gifts of the swarm and create something suitable."

The thought was chilling, but also intriguing. It would allow him to gain more information, but it would be risky, allowing his foes a chance to learn of his swarm's abilities. Still, he was confident something suitable could be done. The question then was simply at what cost could it be done.

"How long would it take to create a new breed for the purpose, and how much would it cost?" His question was a bit tense in its tone. So many things to keep a note of, so many different paths he could explore given the right amount of time. The Queen's presence at least calmed him, like the hatchery was to the larva, the queen's presence was to him.

"We have a base form for human shape, its a matter of how powerful this new breed needs to be. The more complex the evolution and the more exact the details required, the longer the amount of time necessary. Of course, the more advanced the swarm has become the easier it will become to advance the swarm further. As for the costs, it may take from a simple hundred bio-energy up to a thousand bio-energy, again, depending on how much is required. We could cross that thousand bio-energy mark as well, but at that point its a matter of diminished returns."

Dain nod his head a bit thoughtfully. In other words, the more he demanded the more he would have to be willing to set aside. Yet there was promise in that direction. For now, it would have to begin rather simple though. "Can the breed be evolved further at a later point, improving on the old model, or would it be best to simply start again from scratch then?"

Smiling in a calm manner, the queen shook her head a bit at the time. "You don't have to start over if you want to add to previous abilities, furthering specialization that has the groundwork already done only means going further and thus, taking some more time to refine the breed. Starting back from the base form for similar but somehow different purpose might be faster to start with, but likely still cost more. A completely new idea of course follows an entirely different path. With that in mind, what would you wish to create then?"

Dain had a lot of ideas what could take place later, but while he built up his numbers and tried to solve the matter with his mother for now, he could benefit from some additional information. Making up his mind, he looked at at the Queen seriously. "I want to devote two hundred bio-energy to creating a human-like zerg infiltrator to be able to gain some information from my enemies. I have some ideas how to further improve this infiltrator with zerg abilities."

At that time, the overlord's distant voice reached him. _"We are proceeding on the trail of the people that attacked your old home, patriarch. We are crossing distance rapidly, expecting confrontation in three day's time, at most."_ That would give him answers. Whether or not their mother was alive, he would see to it that the attackers would suffer at the hands of the zerg. While he might have some mercy for a soldier carrying out his duty, he had none for slavers and raiders. Perhaps some of them got pushed to that life by force, but he would force the life out of them for what they had done.

"Take care of the preparations, I will be there soon." Dain looked at his queen seriously, then gritting his teeth together. "And not a word of this to Gem or Vera." He leaned closer, pressing his hand against the Queen's hand, focusing his mind. Directing the bio-energy stored within him to flow to the queen's form, he left it up to her to begin the process, fusing human and zerg abilities together. Ultimately, he would have to capture, and assimilate some creatures with abilities he could put to a proper use.

The dire wolves might be a good call, at least their more intelligent cousins that lead their packs, it might give him insight into how to further refine his overlords control, perhaps. On that thought, he felt the overlords hatching, and their greeting reaching out to him. As soon as they had greeted him, they began their task of relaying information to him, and suddenly, it was like someone had cut out the constant little chatter and instead given him a broad overview of not only his hive, but the mission in the distance at his mother's trails, the hunting zerglings patrolling along his perimeter, and the progress reports about the wall the drones were crafting.

"Overlords." Dain turned his attention towards them, addressing them while gazing up at their form proudly. _"You have awoken at an interesting time. There are many enemies around us, and many threats aimed at our heart. The Swarm must grow, and evolve, but it would not be wise to forget about the possibility of expansion. So, I want you-"_ He addressed the first-born among his three new overlord, who's personality he could feel to be one of a perfectionist and a responsible one. _"-__to be my eyes and ears at this primary hive site, where as you two are given the task of surveying the area from height, and seeing if you can locate a good site for new hatcheries later on. You have the rest of today for this task, and I will hear you out on your return. If you find a good site and I approve, you will be assigned to that site where a new hatchery will eventually rise and you will be left with the task to oversee its rise and defense then."_

The overlords happily accepted the orders. Unlike his first overlord, they didn't speak much with words, but with emotions and simple understanding and agreeing. Perhaps he no longer needed that much conversation when issuing commands, and they understood this already. It could be, but perhaps it simply was that the swarm reflected him in some ways, and right now, he needed efficiency more than idle chatter.

Gem and Vera had enjoyed their bath but had finished up with that and moved to eat. He noted this thought down as he received the news through a burrowed roach, as the girls walked over its location. Red-cheeked, Dain was grateful it simply gave its report rather than offering him a direct gaze through its own senses. If he'd see Gem naked sometime, it would have to be on more equal terms, not him trying to steal a peek at her.

With everything seeming to be in order, he thought back at his reserves of bio-energy. Just thirty-eight left for today, after the queen had moved to carry out his will with the new breed's rise. He considered the work on the wall, and silently sighing, issued a command for ten more drones to be spawned to assist in the work. Eighteen bio-energy wasn't much to leave in reserve, but it would do, for now.

Soon enough he would be able to turn from defense to offense, and his first task was to gather intelligence on his foes. If he could anticipate their plans and moves, it would put him in a far better state to undermine their efforts and at least give him a warning about any future incursions. That did leave the protoss question unanswered, but he wasn't keen to take a rematch just yet.

Turning towards the evolution chamber, Dain began his march, his mind wandering about the possibilities ahead. The swarm needed to evolve, to grow in numbers and strength, and to establish a site which was not threatened by constant, petty attacks. So far he had been surviving these attempts, but if someone put together two and two and figured out just how dangerous the zerg were becoming, he was still in a position where his survival was uncertain.

OOOOOO

Alright, this chapter took a good while to write. I tried to include the interrogation scene but honestly, it felt like it was forced, since the soldiers didn't know anything of value anyhow, and the plot needed to move along a touch anyhow. So, this is my compromise. I'll spare you the details on the interrogation, suffice to say Dain's not someone to resort to torture as first option or necessarily even as a last option, but given the guards knew little anyway, there's little to be gained.

I'm focusing more on the zerg swarm and Dain as well as Vera as time goes, the family aspect and the war that lies ahead. Romance is taking a backseat for most part, but we'll see if I will try and bring that more to the front as well at some point.

Heart of the Swarm is out, should I or should I not work to include what it has taught us into the story as well at some point? I am leaning towards utilizing the assimilation process a fair bit more in the future. Also, considering adding some more talkative members of the swarm to the character roster.

As always, feedback and replies are appreciated.


	20. Chapter 20: Decisions and Dilemmas

Author's Note: I do not own Starcraft or any of the units portrayed within it. Starcraft is the property of Blizzard Entertainment, I only own my original creations. This is a work of fan fiction, existing entirely outside any canon material. This tale was inspired by reading "_The Zerg Swarm_" tale by _East Bridge._

**Chapter 20 – Decisions and Dilemmas  
**

The spawning pits had proven to be quite useful in their ability to store a variety of materials safely enough, and the liquid within it had also proven a great boon to Dain's ability to increase the numbers of his swarm swiftly. It seemed logical the evolution chamber would hold its own promise, and Dain was not feeling disappointed upon entry.

The feeling was like entering a church, a high-rising roof along with an arched design was interesting, though he didn't think a religious building traditionally had a spine running along the middle of the roof. Still, within the chamber there was a set of large pools with a protective wall before them that rose to his waist-level, the smell of the oozing liquid within a bit overwhelming at first.

There were several large and small eggs partially embedded in the walls, with zerg strains felt within. Different possibilities, straining and competing, yet at the time, he could feel what he had was mostly what he knew. Attempts to figure out which kind of a protective shell would keep a zerg alive longest under assault. Which kind of coating on claws would aid in rending a foe apart. Which sort of spines would best penetrate the materials in this world. Things he'd pretty much expected.

He had a feeling he would be able to distill more abilities and seek to add them to his swarm if he just acquired the fresh materials. Which meant he would have to go hunting for some of the beasts with abilities he might consider useful. That might prove a problem in the forest area he occupied, though beasts knew he was there they had lost a few of their numbers trying to dislodge him and his hatchery from the area, and though they were animals of this world, they had a frightening feral cunning about them. Well, most of them, some were too dumb to get the message.

"Lord Patriarch." The queen spoke at him, standing near the back besides a large chrysalis already formed within the chamber itself, with black veins running along the floor to the base of the chrysalis which was pulsing faintly with power fed to it. "The process is about to begin. If you would let me know what you wish." The Queen bowed her head a bit respectfully. While she had access to his thoughts through the hive-mind, Dain caught on that while he wasn't entirely decided on which abilities to put to use, the Queen would have trouble trying to weave it all into the new breed. Especially as there was only so much bio-energy dedicated to this test.

"What I need right now is a spy. First of all, begin with the human form, but strengthen it with zerg gift. Strong, resilient, and fast to heal. One of the necessary qualities will be the ability to cloak, so it can avoid detection by whatever guards may lay in its path." That was simple enough. With a mixture of cloaking and burrowing abilities, a spy should be able to get past most obstacles, and rest to recover some of its energy in hiding before continuing its mission, as necessary. "Second, I need this spy to have good senses." It only made sense that the spy would also be able to serve as a detector. Being able to pick out the adepts and mystics in particular ought to be useful in this world, and give some measure of warning. "Lastly, use whatever power is left to strengthen the spy's ability to cause damage at once, without sacrificing its cover. It may be necessary to kill during some missions, so its best to be prepared."

The queen nod her head already focused at the task, the chrysalis' surface showing shadows gathering, as a shape slowly began to take form. Like a human infant, the body looked to be curled up in a small space at first, but slowly began to relax its limbs within the fluid of the chrysalis, sensing the room around it. Touching the chrysalis' surface and smiling, Dain felt pride in this. Gazing at the queen, he reached out to brush her cheek before laying his both hands on the chrysalis' surface.

The zerg swarm was one of his two families, and he felt close to it before already but standing there watching something like this beginning to take form, he had to wonder. Though the queen's next words did make him snap back at attention. "The shaping will take some time, and the competing strains kept in check. I don't expect to be finished today, please return tomorrow, Patriarch."

It made sense, and honestly he was grateful it wouldn't take that much longer. Still, he had a feeling for the price he had been able to spend on this breed, he wouldn't be able to get everything he hoped for, but perhaps enough for the time being at least. "Keep at it, and make me proud." He smiled to the queen before leaving the evolution chamber behind, stepping out. It was time to spend some time with his sister and Gem.

A lot of things might happen soon, and he had to spend some time among people too. Smiling at the sight of the two climbing the Hatchery's wall to get a look at their surroundings once again, he silently shook his head. While the area they were staying at was not the most exciting neighborhood all the time, the two of them did manage to figure out new topics to talk about and enjoy some simple ideas from time to time like staring at a distance from the roof.

Silently he instructed the overlord to lower down towards them and reach its tentacles beneath it to form a seat for two. "Hey!" He then raised his voice, waving at the two. "Take a seat and hold on to the overlord!" While Vera had flown before he had hesitated to allow her to do this again when he got fearful she would fall, but ultimately, it was not his right to ground her or Gem. So smiling at the two of them he watched them soon begin to ascend, giving the overlord a command to stay within sight-range of the hatchery, but a permission to roam otherwise even at height, and follow the girls command on directions.

That done, he sighed heavily and turned to look towards the wall. The project was going well now, with a force of twenty drones at work, the wall was rising piece by piece, surrounding the grounds. Later, he would have to add some defenses near the walls so that nobody would just try and cross over them or breach through. He'd considered leaving a gate somewhere so he could always allow even his larger swarm members to leave the place without needing an airlift, but for now, the issue of security was more important. Small gap in the wall that would be easily defensible would have to do.

"_Patriarch, there is movement on the plains._" The report from one of the overlords he had sent to a scouting mission on their surroundings informed him somewhat alarmed. Closing his eyes and focusing his attention on the overlord, he felt himself slipping into its form and taking over the overlord's body, its own mind calmly slipping to the back of its mind to allow him control.

His eyes could pick a group of twelve zealots marching in a fast pace along the plains, accompanied by four mechanical 'spiders-tanks' of some sort. He would have liked to call them Dragoons, but their build was different, and somehow he could feel their energy shield was far more sturdy design. It troubled him to see the protoss were on the move, and especially the fact they had gained in strength and numbers. If this was a scouting party, they had a lot of ground to cover, and he wasn't afraid of discovery just yet. They'd have to enter the forest before they'd have a chance of spotting him, but that did mean starting up a new hatchery would be a risky business to attempt, for now at least.

Instructing some of his zerglings to set out on patrol in the woods, he also gave his orders for the two overlords seeking an area to expand upon to continue their mission forth further, allowing them a five-day search radius then, before relinquishing control over them. Returning to his own body, he heard Vera's excited laughter high above, and looking up, saw the overlord was moving as fast as it could with the two of them carried along underneath.

They were fairly fast, not as slow as he recalled they could be, but there was still a fair while for them to go. He hoped that by the time he acquired a hive he would be able to improve their abilities further. At the time being all he could do was reinforce his position, and plot for the coming days. He'd have to strike at the protoss eventually, unless he would be able to convince them to leave him alone, which he found extremely unlikely. He would have to deal with infiltrating Ravenrock, and getting some information from there. He also had to see the matter about his mother settled as soon as possible, and lastly, he would have to see about the expansion plans. A lot of things waiting for his attention.

So much for simply spending some time talking with his family, he decided. It was starting to seem like he would have to tear his enemies apart and drive them to the four corners of the earth before he could spend time with those he cared for in peace. He felt a fair share of anger about the constant attacks and interruptions. While he didn't expect everything to go along perfectly, this felt more like someone was purposefully stacking obstacles in his path.

O O O Two Days Later O O O

"So, the group that went after mother didn't find her yet?" Vera stared at Dain over the campfire set up on the bare ground just outside the creep's reach, beyond the wall now surrounding the primary hive site. Night had fallen, and it was dark, but the ring of twelve zerglings kept any would-be beasts away from them, and Dain had wanted to speak with both Vera and Gem off of creep for a change.

"They found a battlefield, several dead men there, and tracks leading to a nearby fortress, which I am fairly certain is the slaver stronghold. The zerg forces in the area are holding the place under siege, but have not attacked yet. I'm considering how to breach the place without risking the lives of the captives within. What I do know, thanks to Gem here, is that our mother is alive and held prisoner there." He gestured at Gem who nod her head and squeezed on Vera's hand, his sister's smile hopeful but troubled. The two of them had been getting along, and he was grateful Gem kept Vera company even while he was busy with all that was set down for him to deal with.

"I'm considering moving in a larger force, and forcing them to surrender against superior numbers, but as I have been brewing a new surprise for our foes I was thinking about the possibility of taking down the enemy from within. The process on that has been delayed because mixing zerg and human form has lead to a fair share of options that can't be used, because the form is noticeably inhuman." The look on Vera's face told him enough. She'd walked in on the evolution chamber when he was discussing with the queen earlier, and screamed on seeing what resembled an infested terran in the chrysalis, even as a shadowed figure it was a bit frightening.

"Which is why I asked you if you would be willing to grant me a few drops of your blood to add to the mixture." Dain turned his eyes to Gem who nod solemnly. She had promised her aid, and he had promised her both her freedom and the assistance in retrieving her mentor's notes, eventually. She wasn't happy about the delays but she accepted them, and he felt she was acting more like a friend than a mere ally of circumstances these days.

"I already sought blood from the two Ravenrock men, but honestly, that wasn't helpful. I think that pure human blood isn't the key. Its human blood with the gifts of Prime within it. Mystics and Adepts. The Prime Specimen." His words were going a bit over their heads perhaps, but they listened nonetheless. He wanted to try and share his thoughts with them about the matter, because he needed their counsel.

"Worse, they broke free during the attempt, seeking to escape. I am sorry you had to see that." He looked at Vera who shook her head. There was a determined look on her face as she replied in turn. "They attacked us, and would have killed us if they caught us in the trees earlier, and then back at the hatchery later. They keep coming for us, so seeing a few of them die isn't going to give me nightmares." Perhaps not, but seeing a group of roaches surface and spray people with acid that dissolved their flesh would have given _him _nightmares in the past. Now, he accepted it with a plain look on his face.

That was another thing, he was accepting a lot of things, and a fair share of what he would have previously labeled as horrifying, inhumane actions, after becoming the Patriarch. Part of him wondered if he had simply matured to doing whatever it took to protect what he valued, and stand by his beliefs, or if it was something more sinister. Had becoming the patriarch done something to his head and altered him deep down, that was a question he had no real answers for. He was different, that was undeniable, but how much of him was still him was something he felt he would not get a good answer to for now.

"Very well. Regardless, the prisoners are dead due to their escape attempt, the chrysalis is growing and with your help-" He smiled at Gem, bowing his head briefly. "- we should have the swarm's first spy ready soon. I'm still thinking of a proper name for the breed, but we'll see. Regardless, once we have some information on our enemies we'll move in. I am prepared to crush the slavers to the last man, there will be no mercy to any of them for what they've done. As for Ravenrock, if its possible I will try and avoid mass casualties among the civilians and take the fight directly to their leaders and the military forces, but if the people there are as bad as it sounds, I might have to rethink some of that."

He wasn't sure how the matter of Ravenrock would end. He expected to see their leaders dead, but after that, he'd have to make some hard choices. Being around other humans might be good for Gem and Vera, but if they resented him and them, it might be dangerous for the two. Likewise, leaving the place without any warriors to defend it would only mean he'd leave them to die a slow death. However, he wasn't convinced he could avoid destroying their military if he went after their leaders.

There was the option of assassination but that would likely just put another bastard on the throne, and the trouble would continue soon after. He would have to weight his options and abilities carefully, and make a decision he could live with then. The worst of it was the fact that after he'd dealt with Ravenrock in whichever way he chose, he would likely still face similar or worse trouble with who knows how many other settlements eventually.

"I hope you aren't planning to take it out on the people because Ravenrock's lord is antagonizing you. There's many who have not committed a crime other than following their lord's orders there, and for most its a better option to serve even if they wouldn't agree with all of the ideas of a settlement." Gem's expression was a bit worried, but she relaxed after Dain shook his head. He would avoid that outcome as long as it was possible.

"The only reason I would go after civilians was if I found out they were actively helping out causing others misery, not just passively going along with it. If I found out the people actually demanded these methods from their leaders, then I might think it through and find the ones that lead that idea forth. We'll see." Dain's words were somewhat cold. He knew how some people could manipulate others, after all. If he found out there were some folks playing people as their puppets to get their will carried out in the city, he'd not hesitate to make a few examples.

Silently getting up and looking at the distance, he thought about the discoveries elsewhere. Heading to the south, one of his two exploring overlords had come to locate a small mountain valley that would serve his purposes if he wanted to build a more isolated place. While there was less vegetation, there was still some open ground. It would be cold, but the zerg could survive a little chill without trouble. It would also be a position his foes would likely not come looking for him anytime soon. Which meant it might work out and serve his purposes. The problem was that getting there would require him to get overlords with ventral sacs to carry a couple of drones to the location, unless he chose to go himself, and he wasn't that keen on setting out with so many different things going on at his primary site.

Gritting his teeth together silently, Dain found himself frowning. Even with the power of the swarm he was fighting a battle which he might lose until he'd know more about his enemy, and could find a way to break them. The swarm would need to grow, to assimilate some of the abilities of the beasts, and evolve to become both stronger and smarter than the foes he was dealing with.

OOOOOO

New chapter is up, and the next one is up in the air. I can either focus on the time after the new swarm member emerges, or to turn attention towards the first mission that is going to be undertaken as soon as is possible. Also, at this point, I'm holding a few other ideas in my head for the future as well, so writing will continue in due time.

I am holding a few other ideas at hand and debating about them.

I got an idea for a Dungeon Keeper fan-fic that I've been wanting to do for a while, I wrote and let a friend give me an honest opinion of a first chapter already, and have been seeing about rewriting that.

I've had some thoughts about writing some about X-Com because I have been a fan of X-Com games starting from the old classic and progressing through a number of them. I quite enjoyed the game, and was looking forward to a fan-made version called "UFO: Two Sides" which would've put a player on both sides, both to lead the X-Com forces against the alien menace and leading the mission on earth for the Alien side as well. Unfortunately, that got buried before reaching conclusion. Suffice to say, I've had my fair share of ideas for that direction.

As for science-fiction in general, I've thought about Eve on-line and X3: Terran Conflict and several other spaceship focused games for some sort of a story but frankly, I have my doubts whether or not I could put together something that folks would read when it comes to exploring some thoughts on those matters.

Of course, there's also been a few that have already told me to not spread myself out thin, and to simply focus on this one story. Frankly, writing the same story constantly while having a myriad of ideas isn't feeling very healthy idea either, but hard to say. Regardless, just some thoughts.

Chapter 21 will arrive when it does.

As an added extra, I'm including some notes below for things mentioned before.

OOOOOO

Swarm Evolutionary Stage: Beta

Patriarch Bio-Energy: 100 /500

Patriarch Bio-Genesis: 50 /cycle

Swarm Bio-Energy: 218 /2.500

Swarm Bio-Genesis: 100 /cycle

-Hatcheries: 75 /cycle

-Extractors: 25 /cycle

Requirement for Evolution

+Lair, Queen, Swarm Warren

Structures available

Hatchery (100be), Evolution Chamber (200be), Spawning Pit (150be), Extractor (100be), Spine Crawler (100 be), Swarm Warren (300be), Lair (2.000be)

Breeds available

Zerglings(2be), Baneling (Evolved, 1be), Roach (3be), Hydralisk (5be), Drone (2be), Overlord (5be), Overseer (Evolved, 5be) Queen (10be)

Evolution Has Unlocked

+Assimilation

New Breeds (Available and in development)

"Spy" (10 be) (In-Dev)

Swarm Complexes:

-Hatchery (Providing 75be/cycle, 50 larva)

-Extractor (Providing 25be/cycle)

-Spawning Pit (Unlocked Roaches, Queens, Banelings) (Unlocked Spine Crawler, Swarm Warren) (Speeds unit morphing by 200%)

-Evolution Chamber (Unlocks Hydralisks, Overseers) (Unlocked Lair) (Unlocks Assimilation)

Swarm Composition: (At Hive)

-Patriarch

-Queen

-Overlord (4)

-Roaches (5)

-Zerglings (65)

-Banelings (3)

-Drones (20)

Allies:

-Psychic "Vera"

-Aspected Psychic "Gem"

Morphs

Zergling

Warrior

Fast Recon Melee

Cost: 2 bio-energy

Spawns: 30 minutes (10 min accelerated)

Baneling

Warrior

Explosive, Sacrificial Melee

Cost: 1 bio-energy (evolved from Zergling)

Spawns: 3 minutes (1 minute accelerated)

Drone

Worker

Capable of morphing into Zerg structures

Cost: 2 bio-energy

Spawns: 2 hours (40 min accelerated)

Overlord

Flying Tactical Commander

Provides instructions to warriors

Cost: 5 bio-energy

Spawns: 1 hour (20 min accelerated)

Overseer

Flying Detector/Commander

Improved Sensory Capabilities

Cost: 5 bio-energy (evolved from Overlord)

Spawns: 30 minutes (10 min accelerated)

Roaches

Warrior

Shock Troopers, Spit Acid

Cost: 3 bio-energy

Spawns: 45 minutes (15 min accelerated)

Hydralisk

Ranged Warrior

Launches Venomous Spines

Cost: 5 bio-energy

Spawns: 45 minutes (15 min accelerated)

Queen

Elite Commander

Psychic Vanguard, Evolver

Cost: 10 bio-energy

Spawns: 2 hours (40 min accelerated)


	21. Chapter 21: Changing Tides

Author's Note: I do not own Starcraft or any of the units portrayed within it. Starcraft is the property of Blizzard Entertainment, I only own my original creations. This is a work of fan fiction, existing entirely outside any canon material. This tale was inspired by reading "_The Zerg Swarm_" tale by _East Bridge._

**Chapter 21 – Changing Tides**

Dain watched as the chrysalis pulsed with energy. The life within its confines was maturing swiftly, and he felt the mind reaching out to his own, like a child reaching for an adult. He began to hum the same song as the hatchery often did, and let the melody play in his mind as well, the mind within the chrysalis relaxing somewhat. His fingers gently caressed over the chrysalis' carapace, as he waited.

"The moment of spawning nears, patriarch. You may want to take a few steps back. There's no telling how this young one will break from its shell." The queen's voice was calm but serious, and Dain followed her instructions in this. Watching the matter was something he reserved for himself and the queen though. Vera had been a little curious, and so had Gem, after she saw the chrysalis, but other than the time she had come to give a bit of her blood to the chrysalis he had asked her to leave the chamber alone, warning both his sister and Gem that since this was a new breed, he wasn't sure just how things would go and he wouldn't want to risk them.

He could return from the grave as he had already proven, at least as long as the swarm was there to revive him, but he wasn't nearly as sure about Gem or Vera. At the very least it would call for a heavy infestation, or perhaps symbiosis of some form. He wasn't sure if he should think of zerg gifts as infestation when they were done with care, and time. From what he could tell, Vera was slightly affected both because of his connection to her, the creep she consumed from time to time like candy, and the closeness she shared with the zerglings. The last thought made him smirk a bit in thought. It was like she was running with a group of large, hyper-active puppies eager to please her. Of course, the metaphor would fall apart because any 'puppies' in this world would be born to the hounds, and be deadly from the very beginning.

Still, as he gazed upon the chrysalis and heard a ripping noise he felt a bit of a chill rise up his spine. A slender, pale hand burst forth, fingers pressed together resembling a karate chop of some sort, just striking clear through the thick chrysalis surface. Pulling back, the hand was joined by another, ripping the crack in the chrysalis' surface wider, till it broke apart, and the new member of the swarm stepped forth.

Dain couldn't help but stare wide-eyed for a moment, before cussing and pulling off his cape, something left by one of the dead commanders that Gem had insisted would look good on him. Rushing over to the chrysalis and the newly emerged figure, he swiftly wrapped the new zerg in the comforting warmth and modesty of that fabric.

"Are you pleased, my lord Patriarch?" The queen sounded amused, watching the two. Dain was a bit blushed, but let out a small laugh. "I'll admit you did manage to make the infiltrator very human in appearance at least." He gently took the slender hand, helping the figure stand straight, the other pale hand already holding the cloak by its collar.

Dain gazed upon a pale woman that had midnight dark hair in dreadlocks, and dark rosy eyes that were a little scary and yet at the same time enchanting. He found himself gently holding an arm around her and then walking back towards the queen, clearing his throat. "Though I'd appreciate it if you could help get some clothing for her. For now, at least."

The queen nod her head politely at this, having already sensed he wouldn't want to introduce his first infiltrator to Gem and Vera as a bare naked woman. Seriously thinking it over, Dain had a bad feeling Gem might have some pretty sharp comments to make, especially as his infiltrator looked like she could have been Gem's older sister.

"I'll get right on it." She turned to leave, smirking. While she had swiftly adapted to the patriarch's desire for her to be able to cover up for modesty's sake, she felt it was a bit unnecessary. Likewise, the infiltrator's creation would have taken more time too if ability to create some fake-clothing were to be added to their form, simple modesty covering was easy enough, but to fit in among humans did mean having something to wear to cover up more.

While Ravenrock was a patriarchal city the female infiltrator form should be capable of listening in on some information, and as necessary to lash out and deal with any that would try and hinder her efforts. The strength of her arms already proved it, replacing human muscle tissue with the optimized zerg muscles gave her a fair strength boost, the bit of carapace strain laced into her skin kept her looking human but her skin was firm and fast healing, covering up any wounds although it would take some time for her to heal, still. It would be useful for hasty getaways and healing out any identifying wounds though.

Her senses were also sharp, and through them, the Queen was quiet aware of the fact the Patriarch's cloak had carried a rather _nice _scent to it. It was an amusing though, the Queen noted quietly. Perhaps mingling human genome into the swarm had its own effects on them. Though it worried her at the same time, because while their patriarch knew they could return as long as he remained alive, he might be reluctant to send them to battle if he got too protective of them. Their purpose was to protect the family, and if necessary to give their lives for it.

"How am I going to explain you to Gem?" Dain laughed while gently stroking along the infiltrator's hair, gazing at her face. She was holding the cloak together now, enough to cover up her form under it after having picked up the fact he found it a bit embarrassing. He in turn could feel the slight confusion in her about the fact he wanted her to be covered up, but didn't argue. "You need a name." He pet her head. Just as he had felt the brave zergling that had fought over and over in his and Vera's defense by now deserved the nickname 'scar' to identify it from the rest of his warriors, he had a feeling he should give a name to a swarm member new to the family who was also expected to carry out missions far from home.

"Lily." He gently touched her nose tip. "I will call you Lily." He smiled to her quietly, watching her rub her throat. "I think I like that." Her voice made him blink. She spoke perfectly fine without any practice. Well, then again she stood without any trouble either and so forth. He had a feeling the Zerg all carried the necessary basic knowledge on such things from the beginning, and he could only guess it carried over. It made sense to him, though he had almost expected her to be mute in the end. He had expected for some flaw to show up in his plan, given how fast her creation had been.

"You need me to go spy on your enemies in Ravenrock my lord? Just order me, and I will." She smiled standing before him, calm and confident. It was a yet another reminder to him that Zerg Swarm's loyalty was unquestioned at least for now. She had no fear, no hesitation about her task, even though he was fairly sure she already knew all he knew about it as well.

"I wish you to do exactly that, but not right away. There are a few people I would like you to meet first." She smiled but didn't reply. No signs of nodding or bowing from her. The Queen used those gestures a fair bit around him, but she didn't make them, she simply paid attention to what he said and spoke her own mind.

"Ah, the allies of the swarm. Yes, I will meet with them if you wish, patriarch. Though I would like to ask something." Gazing at her curiously at her words, Dain smiled calmly. "Ask away." It was intriguing that she wouldn't just take what she needed to know. Perhaps it was something that he knew, but she couldn't get a good look into.

There seemed to be a bit of a barrier between all he knew and what the swarm knew. He was reminded of the filtering system the overlords provided him, cutting out the unnecessary chatter and observations by the members of his swarm, relaying to him the information that actually mattered. Regardless, he was curious to hear what was on her mind.

"Are you embarrassed of nudity?" The question made him blink, and left him a bit unsure on how to reply to her. He had hurried to cover her up and then told the Queen to get her clothes as soon as she was free from her chrysalis. He could understand how the idea might have formed to her mind, but he had to look back at it more objectively for a moment.

"I think nudity is natural at times, but the last thing I need is Gem and Vera walking on me standing around a naked woman for them to start joking around about it." Dain let out a short laugh, then continuing. "Swarm is for most part always naked anyway, but for infiltration it is necessary to wear clothing to fit in with the others a bit better. As for dressing up now, its so the others are comfortable, and I think it lets me concentrate better as well."

There was a bit of a smug smile on her face for a moment after this as she stepped closer, pressing a hand on his chest. "It bothers you? I am able to distract you that easily?" She had a look that worried him, and he wasn't sure of her intent right away. He could sense her and he could definitely command her, but she had a will of her own as well, and she wasn't volunteering the information. Question was, would he be willing to command it out of her, and would he have to.

"I think you need to build up a tolerance for it, so that a foe can't use that against you." Her words did ring true, but he doubted Ravenrock would use such tactics, being how they were. Still, he had to concede that she made a fair point. "Perhaps later." He finally admitted, deciding to delay the matter for now, and make up his mind at a later point when he had a chance to think it over. The fact he didn't deny it outright did speak volumes though, and the smirk on her face made him think of a cat that ate the canary. So smug and reassured. Oh yes, she would be trouble, he could tell that much already.

O O O Few minutes later O O O

"I swear, if you start building a harem of your own I'm leaving before you get any ideas." Gem's laughter made Dain groan and hold a hand to his forehead. Vera was smirking a little as well, but seemed to enjoy chatting a little with Lily already, while his Queen looked at Dain amused expression on her face a little further off.

"It isn't exactly what I was planning to do, no, but I suppose you could see it like that. Gem, what I am doing is preparing for what is to come. I need to get information on Ravenrock, so I know where to strike, and how. I don't want to rush in and then find myself unsure where to lead my forces when I attack them in turn. I wanted a spy among them, an infiltrator, and she is close enough to a human in appearance that I think they will be fooled." Dain sought to protect himself but the look she gave him was a bit doubtful. At least she didn't look like she really planned to leave.

"I know, but what am I supposed to think when you start increasing the amount of women the way you have? First the queen, and now her." Gem's expression showed a bit of distaste, but also confusion. He couldn't blame her for that, either. The similarity between her and Lily was striking, and probably a large contributor to her earlier statement. Still, he hoped she'd accept Lily with a little time.

"On another topic, the defenses are looking good. I doubt Ravenrock can get inside the grounds like before." Gem continued, earning a smile from him and a soft sigh. "I do try and see to it that you and Vera are safe. Once this place is secure, I can move forth with less worries about what happens here. That makes it a little easier, whether I am going after mother, Ravenrock, or your mentor's notes." Gazing around, he took a few steps away, wanting to think and observe the work she had hinted at.

The wall had been built to circle the creep carpet's very edge, and he had instructed two of his drones to begin morphing into spine crawlers. While he wasn't entirely familiar with them, he didn't regret it after it was done. The two 'gate guards' they had become were impressive enough, but the cost was enough to discourage him from spawning more of them just yet. Perhaps with time, he might built up some more to watch over the wall, and make sure nobody would try and climb over it elsewhere, or break a hole into it.

Four new drones were already spawning, the larva having began the morphing a little time ago. That left him with a fair amount of workers to aid in dragging in the defeated minor beasts. No lesser beasts for a bit, just minor ones. That was something he was grateful for. Yet his luck wouldn't last forever, and that was why he had two more eggs, larger than the drones eggs were, a bit further off and already pulsing. His first two hydralisks were coming, and with them, the foes would be facing a whole new threat.

"Is she like that because you wanted to use my blood?" Gem's voice broke him out of his thoughts again. He had been walking along the wall for a little while, and hadn't realized she had followed after him. A lot of things on his mind once again, he concluded to himself. "Partially, yes. You are a beautiful woman and the infiltrator was supposed to be as well." This reply from him brought a bit of color to her cheeks, but she didn't seem offended. A little flattery wasn't bad, and he wasn't lying either.

"I still think you should have warned me." She scolded him, to which he could only reply to with a nervous laughter. "I only learned how she looks when she emerged from her chrysalis. I hurried to get her dressed and then over to greet and meet both you and Vera as soon as possible." Dain watched Gem's expression quietly for a moment. "Alright, I believe you. I am not really mad about it, just a bit awkward. Its almost like you had seen me naked." Her words carried a faint tone of annoyance briefly, but she smiled again soon after. "So, how soon do you think you are going to set out then?"

Dain cast a look back at the hatchery's direction, thinking about his options. He still had a fair share of bio-energy left. Closing his eyes he focused, opening them again, as he saw Gem watching him, but in his mind's eye he also saw the information he sought. That simple list. He could feel that he had energy, enough for doing a fair share, but at the same time, the list was a simple way to remind himself of exact amounts.

_Patriarch Bio-Energy: 150 /500_

_Patriarch Bio-Genesis: 50 /cycle_

_Swarm Bio-Energy: 100 /2.500_

_Swarm Bio-Genesis: 100 /cycle_

"I have preparations here at a fair point. Lily will set out by sunset today. I am planning on building up my forces today, and more tomorrow. I'll set out by third day, giving Lily a chance to reach the destination first and begin her work." His expression was grim and determined, something Gem caught on quickly.

"You think you will have enough warriors to take down Ravenrock in just two days? I have seen your creatures are born fast but you are underestimating the threat by several degrees!" Her worry was touching, but she misunderstood. He had matters to take care of, and while Ravenrock was one of them, another had been on hold far too long already.

"I am going after my mother first."

O O O Vera & Lily O O O

"Its a little strange to think you were only just born today." Vera smiled sweetly and ran her hand along Lily's arm, watching it fascinated. "You seem like a human but you are more like them?" She looked around at the zerglings and the lone roach standing nearby. "Its incredible."

"The Zerg adapt quickly. Its our advantage. While we are all from the Patriarch, we have our origins that go beyond him, that also involve what he became. I cannot see into him, the closest I could compare it to would be if you tried to stare unblinking into the sun." Vera looked a little confused but nod her head in reply. "It sounds weird to me."

Lily chuckled a little, gently holding Vera's hand in her own. "He's been touched by our Origin, and so contains the keys to unlocking more in us here. He is the Patriarch, the one that will lead us to victory in this land, in whichever way he envisions it. We can feel he cares as well, for you but also for us. He would not want to throw us to battle sometimes, fearing loss." She gently squeezed on Vera's arm. "He would be devastated to lose you however. That is because he does know we can return, while you are unique." Leaning closer, Lily's cheek brushed on Vera's own, as she whispered to Vera's ear up close.

"That's what makes him a bit overprotective too, because he became what he is to make sure you would survive. In that time, he's come to see us as more than what he first thought however, and now he's beginning to lead us as he should. Giving us direction to head towards." As Lily slipped a bit back again, Vera stood still and silent, thinking it over. She couldn't help but smile but also look back at where Gem and Dain had walked off to before.

"Are you worried she will take him away?" Lily asked a bit direct for Vera's tastes, but she smiled at her calmly. "He's my brother, so while I hope he will always care for me I accepted it long ago he'd have another important woman in his life someday. Just as I will have another man, at least I used to think that way. Now, there's no other men in the camp." Though if Dain really intended to strike against Ravenrock, perhaps she and Gem might walk among other humans eventually. Things would never be the same as they had been before, but she had a quiet hope in her that they would turn for the better, at least.

"Good. I wanted to know how you felt about that." Lily smiled, casting a bit of a sly smirk in the direction the Patriarch was roaming at. Feeling his presence even from the distance, and quietly thinking to herself she wondered about the days to come.

OOOOOO

Alright, here's chapter 21, thank you all for reading. I am a bit amazed at the amount of followers and favorites, I am writing for practice and I must admit that its always pleasant to see folks are curious to read more. I hope I manage to entertain the folks that have taken the time to read this, and I have a fair bit more on mind to write.

I finished 1st chapter of another story, for X-Com, in between this and the 20th chapter of this tale, but I do intend to keep this story as my main focus. I will seek to keep both stories moving, but I haven't switched priorities, this tale comes first between the two, but I do plan to write on the other tale from time to time.

I'll reply to a few recent reviews, shortly but still.

Beyogi, I am definitely not looking to turn Dain into a psychopath, but he is facing the grim reality of the fact he can't try and protect his family without having to strike back at those who seek to bring him down. I hope you won't be turned away by that. As for the tale behind his rise to the state of being a Patriarch, I might expand upon it later on, if that interests people enough.

Sacchin, I am considering options about the protoss as it stands, but in the one chapter I've shown of them the attitude in their commander should be fairly visible. It would take a fair bit of effort to make sure the protoss wouldn't just begin blasting at the zerg to burn them wherever the protoss forces encounter them. On that note, the protoss are (for the time being) a very serious threat, despite notably smaller numbers than Ravenrock has.

SilverRed, I have something in mind later on. Cerebrates were used in the original game, and Broodmothers later on during Kerrigan's rule. I'm not planning to say much on that just yet, but at some point Dain is going to have to delegate more.

Bombadeus, Mintmaddog, Wos, thank you all for your kind words. I write this as a simple writing practice and was not entirely sure if I should put it up to begin with but I feel there's been a fair bit of pleasant surprise involved in writing this on FF and getting reviews encouraging me to keep at it. So, thank you.

S.R.457, thanks, I think Ultralisks would definitely make an impression on his enemies but if he just stayed put that long he might end up regretting it later on. He's already stayed cornered for a lot longer than probably would be wise.

draken666, here you go. More will emerge, eventually.


	22. Chapter 22: Broken Chain

Author's Note: I do not own Starcraft or any of the units portrayed within it. Starcraft is the property of Blizzard Entertainment, I only own my original creations. This is a work of fan fiction, existing entirely outside any canon material. This tale was inspired by reading "_The Zerg Swarm_" tale by _East Bridge._

**Chapter 22 – Broken Chain**

It had taken some work convincing Vera to stay back at the Hatchery with Gem when Dain set out to his warpath. He did not want her to come along because he worried how he would find his mother, and how the whole scenario would play out. Two days of building up his forces, and two more for the journey, he wasn't sure how long resolving the matter would take once he arrived, but he had more or less accepted the fact he was taking a gamble on this.

Lily had left at the end of the first day, and Dain was expecting some preliminary information as he finally set out. Two days of building up his forces had left him at the head of a sizable swarm, and as he set out the hatchery would still be in a good use. The Queen and two of his Overlords were to stay behind to keep the place in check while he set out leading his forces, the Overlord carrying him along the sky as he watched the advancing force beneath with pride.

After having seen what the hydralisks had shaped up to be, their tall and intimidating presence just as impressive as he recalled, Dain had ordered twenty more to spawn. That had taken a strong pull on his remaining bio energy, but ten more roaches had further depleted what he had left in him that day. The last he had ordered the first day had been a reinforcement of ten zerglings. Forty new zerg on the first day wasn't much, but he had focused on the specialists for most part.

The second day saw the Patriarch raise twenty five zerglings before he set out to his path, leaving the Queen instructions to spawn warriors to defend the hive. So as he walked out, with a force a hundred zerglings strong and accompanied by a fair share of warriors, he was confident he would be able to make his enemies fear him.

_Swarm Composition: (Assault)_

_-Patriarch_

_-Overlords (1) + (1 at Site)_

_-Roaches (15)_

_-Zerglings (100) + (41 at Site)_

_-Banelings (3)_

_-Hydralisks (22)_

_-Drones (2)_

_-Infiltrator (Lily) (at Site)_

Dain's forces made up most of what he had, leaving only his Queen, two Overlords and twenty drones at the hive, but then again he also left the hatchery with two hundred bio-energy to begin spawning the defensive units as necessary. With the Overlords to keep watch and the Queen to destroy any foe that made it past the spine crawlers, somehow, he was reasonably sure his hive could at least delay any attackers long enough to have a whole wave of zerglings hatch and join the battle if necessary.

Regardless of that, he had to focus on what lay ahead. Being held securely in the grip of the tentacles hanging from his Overlord, Dain watched the scene beneath him as they advanced. The zerglings were crossing the ground fast enough, the roaches and hydralisks coming along at a fair pace as well. His speed had to match up with his Overlord's best efforts though, given as he wasn't willing to enter a battlefield with poor control at his side. He had been trying out his strength, and come to the conclusion that a single Overlord would provide him with filter for his control for upto about a hundred living beings, relaying his orders efficiently. With another Overlord waiting at the site, he would have the control necessary to orchestrate the battle as he saw best.

The two drones he had brought along would then take care of what was to come. He had some ideas, but they would have to wait till he saw this to conclusion. Too many ideas at once would only distract him at some crucial point.

O O O Lily O O O

The fortress was a nasty piece of work, that much Lily could tell from the first glance. The Overlord watching over the zerglings laying their siege on the place had a good idea of the layout of the place already, and Lily had been considering her options ever since she first arrived. The place had an octagon design, with shield walls of thick stone, though reinforced with psychic power. Some mystic had made sure to make the best use of those walls after the swarm surrounded them, it seemed.

The place had a rather large courtyard. If they had proper fliers the swarm could have struck down on this enemy easily, but with only the Overlord there was little they could do. The enemy had several adepts and mystics among them, so much Lily could sense even from beyond the walls, but the fact that this place was defended by such numbers of powerful people meant it was worth taking, and would certainly serve as a good field test for the swarm.

There were some fifteen dead corpses scattered about near the swarm's war-camp. Without creep to sustain them, the Overlord had directed a handful of zerglings to hunt for the nearby plains beasts, mostly targeting minor beasts. Its mistake with a _lesser beast _had cost the lives of five zerglings before the beast was taken down earlier.

Still, with more than forty zerglings already present the slavers had been reluctant to step out. The squad of twelve that had left their fortress earlier had been ripped apart to the last man. Zergling speed was something to fear on the open plains, their swift dash and leap with claws extended, combined with their fearlessness was something to dread, and though the enemy had two adept martial artists leading them they hadn't been able to even kill one zergling, so astounded and caught off guard they had been at the precision team work by the zerglings. Tooth and claw struck, and before the retaliation attack could find its target another attack came from another direction, a third locking a foe in place while a fourth chomped down on a vital feasting on their foe's lifeblood.

The first among the Overlords had fought and learned a great deal. Scarred from the magic and arrows the defenders had launched at it, the Overlord had nonetheless done its task of keeping its foe locked down in the fortress, and finding a supply caravan loaded with barrels of ale and salted meat was a good indication their foe would probably not have large storage left for supplying themselves. However, Dain wasn't going to just let them starve, not when his mother and the other captives would likely be the first ones to go hungry.

"I think the northern wall is the best option. With the warcamp to the west, they'll focus on both western and southern flank, with some guards on both east and north but what with that lake towards the north, they're likely to watch that area the least." The Overlord listened attentively as she continued.

"Lead a diversionary raid near the walls, make them think you are going to push them. Keep them on their toes. I'll slip in while you are doing that, and see what I can find out." Her tone was commanding, and the Overlord quietly considered if her demand would further serve the Patriarch's goals. Deciding it did, the Overlord responded seriously. _"You will have your distraction. I will hold them near the south wall as long as I can, but get in fast so the Patriarch wont arrive to find that I have lost many of his warriors and allowed the siege to be broken."_

The Overlord's opinion on the matter was clear. The Patriarch's overall goal mattered far more than this new breed's desire to prove itself useful for the Patriarch. The success would mean things would be easier for the Patriarch when the reinforcements arrived however, and the Overlord wanted to serve. Having held the siege successfully without significant losses this far had left it a bit reluctant to take a needless risk though. Perhaps this one was worth taking, it concluded finally.

Organizing the zerglings took the Overlord only a few minutes, but during that time Lily was well on her way to the northern side. Everyone already knew what to do there, and when to do it. Just as the zerglings let out their fearsome shriek and poured in a scattered pattern towards the enemy walls, the infiltrator began her work. The wall had no easy handholds, it was well made and wasn't one that could be scaled up at least swiftly. Yet at the same time for someone of her boosted ability it was a challenge that could be met.

Four mystics rose to the southern wall to bombard the attacking foes, trying to keep the zerglings from hacking away at the stone, and to make sure none got the bright idea of trying to scale up along the wall either. Even so, the beastly creatures moved too fast, too well timed for them to land a successful hit, albeit rising their tempers notably. In the meanwhile, the courtyard, which was a sizable place on that notice, had a group of few dozen warriors gathered around a warrior adept that seemed to be teaching them at the time. A few archers along the walls, they must have a finite supply of ammunition available Lily noted, given they weren't also on the southern side fighting against the attack.

Though the arrows already struck to the ground outside had given a fair indication they had tried, repeatedly, on several earlier occasions to strike down at the zerglings. Given that none of them had died from fighting this place was a fairly good indication of just how well a simple bow could do against a zergling's carapace. Perhaps if there was more of them, but Lily only counted a total of twelve archers at the walls. With some thirty or so folks training at the yard, she wondered how many there would be. Several cages lined the walls, but they were empty, but then again the steps down from the yard to a dungeon level were clear, and the main keep at the back stood taller than the wall. There was a set of two old towers at the other side of the place, facing the south, but it seemed like they weren't seeing much use.

Still, the place might serve her Lord's interests, in time. At least, once they were done with eradicating the foes that had dared go against her Lord's interests. Her cloaking had hid her the moment she rose on the wall, but feeling its power slowly draining she dropped down to make her way to the entrance of the dungeon, deciding to see to the prisoners down below first. Carefully moving the door to slip inside, she entered the darkness, unafraid. If there were monsters down there, she was the worst nightmare among them.

On the top, she had felt the presence of that one adept and the four mystics on the wall, but beyond them none with true power. She didn't consider the regular humans among them too highly at the time, they might be a threat in sufficient numbers but as it stood the zerglings were more than capable of ripping them apart as necessary. So as she walked down to the passage beneath the ground, she wondered where the rest of their empowered folks were.

The hallway she followed held several old, trashed rooms next to it, seeming to be curved to follow roughly around the outline of the wall, some of the rooms dug in so that their back wall was resting against what was the shield-wall's underground section. The rooms on the 'inside' of that ring seemed a bit larger, but most of them were dark, with torches along the main corridor lighting the way at least. Following along towards the keep's direction, she paused to lean against a wall and then slip behind a wall into one of the rooms, allowing her cloak to fade. Her ears alert, she heard whimpers in the distance, but she also felt that power there.

"_Something far stronger than these adepts and mystics is here. Something with a psychic presence." _Her report back to the Overlord was brief and narrowly shot, trying to make sense of it. She felt whatever it was from this far away, and it worried her. The only one she had felt that way before was her Patriarch, and this presence was far from friendly.

The shriek and the bone-crunching snap that followed made Lily slip out of the room's darkness and follow down the path again, until near the keep she saw another set of steps leading down towards a door to somewhere below, another set of stairs nearby in turn leading up towards the ground level within the keep. The top-floor of these dungeons was empty, but something unpleasant was fairly clear. This place was built as an octagon on the surface, but the circle-like structure beneath the ground surrounded the courtyard but persistently refused to approach the middle area, and yet she could feel the back wall of the inner ring of rooms had open space beyond it. There was something hidden from sight below there, reaching towards the ground, and a dreadful feeling washed over her.

There might actually be something nastier than the Swarm down there after all. Yet fear wasn't something that could paralyze one like her, and Lily walked on quietly, taking the steps down to the second dungeon floor's entrance, quietly opening the door and gazing beyond it. More cages lay in wait along the walls, although they were empty ones. Lily's enhanced senses did tell that many of them had been in use before, but the closer ones had been emptied a fair time ago, the further she went, the more recently the cages seemed to have been emptied out.

"Ohhh, what do we have here, did someone slip loose?" A man's voice spoke up without warning, and before a second passed a strong arm grasped Lily's neck in a hold, pulling her back against a man's firm chest. She didn't sense his presence, even when he held onto her. The man had to be an adept with a focus on vanishing from senses, something that troubled Lily. The fact he caught her made her wonder, before she grimaced at the realization the moment he detected her was the moment her cloak's time ran out. Using it in the dark, just in case something lay in the next room as she moved ahead, she hadn't thought of conserving power for surprises preferring to avoid them altogether.

Yet there she was, groaning and struggling. "Don't worry, you'll choke and faint soon, and then you'll return to your cage to wait for Master to _reforge _you, and you can rest easy that someone resourceful enough to escape will become good _parts."_

While she wanted to escape, and felt reasonably sure she could break the man's neck, the thought of being lead to where the women were was not a bad one, and it would perhaps allow her to time her escape right to allow others loose too. But without Patriarch's forces here, she wasn't going to be able to lead them all out safely. Fighting the mystics alone might be lethal to those she had come to find and save, and even if she succeeded in escaping now, she would have a hard time doing it again after the enemy learned someone _could _do that.

So she gave in, and pretended to faint, going limp. The man kept squeezing her in a choke-hold a little longer, before lifting her over his shoulder and walking down to the passages waiting. Her eyes shut, her senses were still active, mapping down the area. Circling the area and going down a whole new floor, she began to wonder why the place was built the way it was. Like a spiral, it seemed to lower little by little.

"Master!" The man finally shouted, dragging her to a grand chamber at the third floor, with towering crystals along the walls reaching towards the top, a cloaked figure floating in the air amidst them, flying with crackling psychic energy arching to and from his form. "One of the women got loose somehow! You are losing your touch!" The young man's mocking was met with silence, but the man seemed to wince and bow his head down.

"No no, I was joking, of course, I will-" The man became quiet, then dragging her along towards a row of cages at the back of the room. Throwing her into one of them and then slamming the door shut, the man pulled a key from his neck hanging from a chain to close the rusty old lock, turning to walk away.

Laying on that floor, Lily's body was still shaking. Something about that floating man the sneaky bastard called 'master' was very, very wrong. She had already served the swarm well in finding the women, and finding them alive, but she had been caught on her first mission. Then again, she would be in place to get out of the jail cells as soon as the Patriarch was close. The door's lock was iron, as were the bars. Rough but sturdy. Rusty, and quite aged. She had a feeling it would not be quiet, but breaking the cage door open should not challenge her abilities when that became necessary.

O O O Back at the Hive O O O

"While Lord Patriarch is away, I am in charge of your safety. He left rather clear instructions on that." Queen's voice was calm and collected, but she was far from happy with her situation. The Overlords flying over the Hive site and somewhat beyond had picked up a force of zealots on a path towards the woods. While their direct path would not bring them to the hatchery, they might find it by going through the forest in their search.

Worse, if they had some means of detecting the swarm over distance, they might be headed right at the hatchery when they came in sensor-range, whatever range that would be. Accompanying those zealots was a set of spider-tanks of some sort, which the Patriarch had advised her could be called 'Dragoons' for now, though he had also told her to be wary.

Several eggs were already pulsing around the hatchery, and Gem and Vera watched the Queen a bit hesitantly. "Are you sure about this? We did face the Ravenrock forces before, and-" The Queen's voice rose as she stomped down before Gem and Vera. "This is different! By Patriarch's order I am to keep you two safe, and the Patriarch was very clear this enemy is not one he wants to face without knowing what they are capable of. This is the foe _that killed him once."_

Whatever objections the two of them had died on their lips as the Queen lost her temper like this. It was obvious this was a threat they could not simply ignore. "What about our idea?" Gem's eyes turned towards the evolution chamber, and the Queen shook her head. "It wont be done for a while. While I understand your eagerness, _that _will take far too long to be of use in this. The enemy might be here by nightfall."

Vera touched the Queen's face, and could feel the honest concern, the desire to do the job she had, and the caring for both Gem and Vera. In a way, Vera was comforted by this but at the same time a little alarmed at how strong those emotions were. The Queen's will was strong, but her emotions a bit overwhelming. She seemed to project the mood of the swarm itself around her, and as it was accelerating its growth to prepare for the challenge ahead, Vera felt the rush a bit too strong, quickly letting go.

"If the foe comes by nightfall then we will have to fight in the dark, and unlike the Swarm, they might not see that well in the dark." Gem tried to encourage both Vera and the Queen, smirking a hint. Unfortunately, the Queen wasn't sure that was true with this foe. Their eyes glowing with psychic presence, their minds honed, these foes should be just as deadly in daylight as under the cover of darkness.

"Hell of a timing." Gem muttered finally. "Hell?" Vera asked, to which Gem smiled. "Dain says that. Another word for the Pit, apparently." While the two of them were not directly members of the swarm, the Queen couldn't help but think they both shared a connection with both the Swarm and Dain in their own ways.

OOOOOO

Alright, things are on the move, and a lot of things set and waiting. I will work on putting chapter 23 together soon, but I might write the second part of the X-Com tale before getting to that. Not yet decided, unfortunately.

I'll try and reply to a few thoughts showing in the reviews again, thank you for providing me feedback and your thoughts when you have the time and the opportunity.

DaLintyMan, there's a few things to be seen about Dain's family matters still. Regardless, as for Khaydarin crystals they have been mentioned in the past, and they may well play a role in the future. As for the speed he gains new members to his swarm, that ought to improve when he gets further.

Beyogi, I think that's a matter that has a few sides to it. Dain's seeing the Swarm as his second family, but its far from conventional sense. Still, there's a fair share of 'reasons why not' between the idea of him setting up a harem and execution of said idea. Doesn't mean Lily might not play to tease the poor fellow, especially given the way she got her shape and who it so closely resembles. As for Dain doing something for Gem with his ability, well an option certainly, infiltrators do not need to be women as you guessed. He has a shortage of human psychics of male variety though. He doesn't count as one, himself.

the devil's son, this is not a Swarm born under the Overmind's influence and controlled by the Dark Voice, as such Dain's decisions affect a lot of Swarm's habits.

Bronze650, I think Infestors may be added, at a later evolutionary stage at least.

Akuma-Heika, Lily is going to be interesting to see, and as for the others, its still too early to say.

Kane, glad to see you are back. Thank you for your insights in the review, and he's trying to put family first on things, he's already delayed a fair while. As for the Protoss, up till now they haven't known where his location. As for the thought of him infesting his enemies, that remains to be seen.

Wos, Zerglings are fast and deadly in the woods by their maneuverability, but they should be quite effective in open territory. Thing is, the zerg buildings stand out and Dain's hoped to more avoid notice than to expand aggressively.


	23. Chapter 23: Nightfall

Author's Note: I do not own Starcraft or any of the units portrayed within it. Starcraft is the property of Blizzard Entertainment, I only own my original creations. This is a work of fan fiction, existing entirely outside any canon material. This tale was inspired by reading "_The Zerg Swarm_" tale by _East Bridge._

**Chapter 23 – Nightfall**

The Queen stared at her forces silently, closing her eyes with a shiver running through her form. Thirty zerglings, ten roaches, and ten hydralisks was all that made up her fighting forces, and that was the most she could put together. There was ten bio-energy remaining, practically nothing, and then there was the project that Vera and Gem had insisted upon. That might be useful, later, but it would take a long while and she had only been able to spend enough bio-energy on that project to get it started.

The drones were further reinforcing the walls of the hatchery's area, the two spine crawlers stationed at the gates of the hive complex. It might not be enough, but she was certainly going to give the enemy as much trouble as she could. One of the overlords remained at the back of their base ready to transport Vera and Gem to safety if necessary, while the other stayed at high altitude to observe the approaching enemy forces.

There was no doubt anymore. The protoss were on a path towards the hatchery, and conflict was not going to be averted this time around. Dain's swarm wasn't catching any easy breaks it seemed, and the Queen was preparing to give her life if necessary. The simple, eager minds of the zerglings were just excited of the battle, knowing they'd be back even in case they fell, but the Queen feared that silence, and how long it might take for her to return. It would depend on how good job she did, she reasoned to herself. Surely the Patriarch would bring her back as long as she did all that was possible. Yet at the same time she worried, because as much as the patriarch was in touch with the Swarm, some of his thoughts were his alone.

Right now, there was nothing she could do though but turn her focus on the coming threat. She had considered creating some banelings for this but she had a feeling she'd need everything she had before this was over, and so had focused on some stronger warriors along with a good swarm of zerglings. The patriarch had managed far longer with far less forces than she had at her disposal now, but it still didn't mean she was feeling too confident about this.

Yet she saw a possibility of victory too, it would depend entirely on how smart their enemy was. Apparently, the Patriarch expected this enemy to actually know how dangerous the zerg could be and so they might come far better prepared than the savages of this land. She silently wondered if she should have allowed Gem and Vera to remain close, but then dismissed that thought as quickly as it had occurred to her. The patriarch wouldn't be glad if she put them in harm's way. Even successful defense would mean little if that left those two injured.

Most of the zerglings had burrowed at ready, the roaches waiting within their territory, the hydralisks set down outside for a pincer-movement. They didn't have many forces at their disposal, but surrounding the enemy and relying on the fast coordination among the zerg could leave this foe disoriented long enough to breach their defenses. She did cast a dubious look at a 'charged spell' that Gem had left behind though. She could feel the amount of psychic power forced into it, Gem had pretty much exhausted herself on the spot pouring so much of her own power into the shard that they had recovered from one of the beasts before.

It wouldn't hold that magic for long, but if the Patriarch's assumption was correct, the psychic blast, or 'magic bomb' in it would render the protoss shields powerless for several seconds, giving the zerg forces a chance to tear apart at them. Thing was, the bomb's range would be very limited, and there was little control on when it would go off, after someone came too close to it. It might explode immediately, or it might take it several seconds to break free from the shard and burst out. That kind of made it a gamble to even use it, but if what the Patriarch thought was true, it might make this enemy a lot easier to take down.

O O O Meanwhile O O O

"This is troubling." Dain frowned while riding upon the overlord. "The enemies are striking at us without missing a beat. Its starting to feel ridiculous actually. I remember the swarm being strong enough to strike down foes at ease, but I haven't built a force large enough for that yet I suppose."

_Taking everyone along for this fight did leave the hatchery poorly defended, but the numbers there will swell swiftly. Once there's a proper lair in place of the hatchery it will also be possible to raise new hatcheries near it._

The overlord's mental reply was fitting enough. Dain needed a more advanced zerg complex in order to be able to lay down more hatcheries in the same area. In the computer game, he could have laid down a farm of six hatcheries and not worry about not having enough larva around for what he needed, and here the thought was very tempting as new hatcheries would also mean more bio-energy.

He had contemplated building more hatcheries here time after time but he had run into that same problem. Hatcheries built with some distance from one another were fine, but if they were too close to one another they would not work out so well. He needed a lair that could coordinate the hatcheries properly, and later on, he would undoubtedly need a hive to be able to expand a fair number of lairs around it.

All of which meant that the swarm would jump from being challenging to being overpowering after he managed to get everything in order. Perhaps then he would be able to truly call forth enough forces to subdue the lords of this land and strike down even the migrating beasts before they could become at threat to his hives.

However, there was something else on his mind as well. The thought of what Lily had found troubled him. The robed fellow seemed to be issuing commands to his troops that Dain couldn't hear. There was a possibility of there being psychic whispers he couldn't tap into, and that lead to a _very _uncomfortable thought. The one group he knew that could do something like that was also the ones that _killed the cerebrate zasz _in the original tale.

_Dark Templars._ The mere thought of them being here in addition to the protoss main forces made his skin shiver and the spines on his arms to rise up. The new heart beating in his chest was pushing itself harder before he sought to calm himself. It was mere possibility, and he didn't think Dark Templars would do something like allying with these slavers. More likely, it was something entirely different, but subtle psionics was more tasking than the crude 'magic' the people of this world were capable of.

_Patriarch, what should I do?_ The request for his attention coming from Lily had Dain scratch his chin as he thought about the options. There was still a two day march to reach the site, and then he would make sure any that opposed his will would be crushed, torn apart and ripped to shreds. He was not going to be merciful to the people that had nearly killed him even before he became the patriarch of the swarm.

_Continue to try and get some information out of the captives if you can. I know the guards have intimidated them to being quiet there and tried to bully you to be quiet as well, but I would appreciate any information you can pull free. When the time comes, crush the lock of your cage, march out, and tear their guards apart. Set the prisoners free, and then we'll see. You may find it easier to sneak out unseen and open the gates for the swarm to pour in among the foes and rip them apart, or you might choose to instead go after the psychic that leads them, but I have a feeling neither option is going to be easy._

_For now, remain still and observe, I'll contact you when we are near and ready to launch our attack._ He tried to reassure her, humming a melody in his mind that seemed to calm her as well. There was something that he hadn't expected from dangerous, wild forces like the zerg, but music had a very calming effect upon them. Perhaps it was due to the fact that they were born under the care of the 'song' from the hatchery, but he was fairly certain it couldn't be used against them.

_Something else to consider, then. Perhaps later. I doubt there will be any musicians among a band of ruffians, but its a worthwhile thing to check before going after Ravenrock._ With his thoughts settled for the moment, Dain focused once more to the advancing swarm.

O O O Evening at the Hatchery O O O

"They are coming." Gem grimaced at the realization. The lights in the distance told her enough, the blue eerie shine she could notice on the move, heading towards the hatchery's gates. The two of them were held aloft by the overlord, overlooking the grounds where the Queen was starting the execution of the battle-plan.

Zealots had seen the tall wall that was covered in creep, protecting an area beyond it. They were now following it to locate the gates, expecting one to be around, and if not, to at least scout out the perimeter for a later attack. Their leader's command was absolute, and none of them hesitated to march to battle. Yet at the same time, none of them could remember the zerg building up walls. They just didn't do that kind of things. It troubled the leader of the zealots, but they didn't find it important enough to bring up with their commander yet.

Thirty zealots, and five immortals had been sent to this first battle with the enemy. If this was an outlying small base, it might fall to them, but if they found indication of a larger infestation here they would have to retreat, and return with a larger force later. For now, it was simply recon and hitting targets of opportunity.

They weren't about to have a chance for that however. As they neared the gateway, they could see the two large structures beyond the gates, with serpent-like guardians at them, ending in vicious impalement spikes at their tips. Those spine crawlers could actually hit hard enough to do harm to their forces, but the zealots didn't see another way in.

"For Aiur!" The shout rose in the air, and the zealots took their first running steps, the change in pace activating their enhancements, the psychotic zealot charge starting. They were making a rapid advance towards the waiting spine-crawlers to engage before the immortals would be in their range.

Before they managed to reach their objective however all of a sudden the ground beneath them burst open with claws shredding legs and jaws biting together to rip chunks of meat off of the zealot legs, the blast of psychic energy knocking out the zealot shields. Unfortunately, it was not wide enough to do a thing against the immortals, against whom it was really meant.

The zerglings were fast but the protoss knew no fear against this enemy, and even as their brethren burnt away to save their bodies from being defiled by these monsters the remaining warriors began their own attack. Evenly matched in numbers, the zealots might have won that, if not for the fact that they were also getting hammered by the spine-crawlers that were now having a field-day slamming down into their numbers while they were surrounded by the tide of purple-black flesh.

The immortals were moving closer when ground burst open between them and the front-line, with several roaches immediately spraying their acid upon the immortals. Shimmering energy shields activated, defending them from the worst of it, nullifying the acid against the hard-light shield immediately. The queen grimaced, but her forces pressed on.

The hydralisks were still underground, waiting for the right moment. It began to look like the zerglings were about to be finished off, against the zealots that had been enhanced that way it was only a matter of how long they could keep the enemy stuck in that _bottleneck_ at the gates of the hatchery.

"Fly over them!" Gem ordered the overlord, with Vera nodding insistently. Gem was already tired from making the bomb, but the short rest had given her some stamina back, and she was putting it, and all she dared of her health as well into a new attack. Forming a mana-bomb between her fingers silently, she held a blue crystal shard between her fingers, a cut in her palm bleeding, the crystal's surface showing dancing shadows as some of her life-blood was spent to fuel the magic within it. Strong psychic emotion, a desperation to aid her strange family, Gem put her anger for those who had hurt Dain into the crystal, along with her own anger at being delayed with her own goals. She pushed all manner of dark depressing thoughts from her mind to the crystal alongside the blood, till the clear blue was black as the midnight shadow.

"For the Swarm!"

Her short shout rallied the swarm, but they also knew to retreat a few steps, the roaches burrowing before the confused immortals as the crystal in gem's hand fell, the black mana-bomb landing with the sound of shattering glass on hitting ground. What followed was a burst of blue-tinted energy with black, dancing shadows amongst it, reaching and piercing through several protoss and some of the zerglings. The walls near the gate were also shaken, with creep there seeming to shrivel somewhat for a moment.

The roaches rose once more as the blast wore off, attacking the now unshielded foe again with new found anger, the half-circle of hydralisks within the hatchery grounds rising up. Having meant to save their strength till some of the enemy broke through past the zerglings to surprise the enemy once more then, and give them the image of endless reinforcements if she was able to do so. Something to drive the enemy off. Even if she had deployed it all at once, the victory would have been hard to pull off, and leave the enemy with an image of them being already worn down and easy target for a second wave.

Now, with the enemy already weakened she watched with sinister glee how protoss bodies were consumed in flame, and heard the distant 'fuck you' death-cries of the immortals as they were torn apart by some of the zerglings on that side of the gates rushing to aid the roaches, seeing how the immortals without their shields were starting to take losses. The gates were holding, with several spines spat upon the remaining warriors of Aiur constantly, and before long the last zealot lay on the ground, dead. The two remaining immortals began their retreat but with the swarm in pursuit, they were quickly torn apart as well.

Gem and Vera landed with the overlord, with Gem having fainted after pushing herself, but the queen's hand gently reached out to brush along the girl's hair, before pressing her own palm on the cut on Gem's hand. As her own hand rose away, a small patch of black skin covered the cut that Gem had inflicted upon herself to use primal magic like that. While a mana-bomb was far from energy-efficient, it did wonders against simple shields, and that had been enough.

"You two get some rest." The Queen smiled proudly, then bowing her head to them in gratitude. Vera set off, trying to carry Gem with her before a drone moved ahead to offer its large, warm back for the two. The queen turned her attention on what the zerglings she still had were reporting.

There were no signs of more protoss in the area, and the overlords were not detecting anything of that nature either, yet the queen was not restful. She had four zerglings left after the fight, and six of her roaches. All her hydralisks had survived this skirmish, and would undoubtedly play a major role in any following battles.

Yet one thing was clear. The Patriarch had expected that the protoss forces could make their way through zerglings with their own zealots, and that the walking tanks would have to have their shields blown to hell before the battle for the roaches to stand a chance, even with their resistances. After all was said and done though, the enemy was no match for their forces, and their losses were notably smaller than she had expected.

The mana-bomb seemed to hurt the protoss a lot more than it hurt the swarm, though even the zerg had been wounded. More importantly though it had ruined any kind of strategy they seemed to have had, causing the zealot team-work to fall apart at first, and ruining their shields, but the second blast seemed to have even left the spider-tanks in confusion, stumbling around like headless chickens, no-longer coordinating their fire on individual roaches which had lead to a few casualties among them to begin with.

_You did well. I am proud of what you managed to do with so little forces. I think you deserve some kind of a reward._ The patriarch's words had the queen feeling a bit of a surprise. The swarm protected its own, and sought to survive, because even those lost could generally be brought back as long as the swarm itself was still alright.

_Patriarch, I am not sure, I mean the whole swarm here fought together for what they accomplished._ Her response was met with a short mental chuckle in response, before she too smiled and finally nod her head. _Yes, patriarch._

That settled for the time being, she turned to look at the diminished forces at her disposal, and then at the drones. _Gather everything that was left behind by the enemy. Pile it up. Lets see if these enemies left behind something useful._ The practical sense she had gotten along with her more humane form told her the zerg swarm likely would not find any use for protoss gear as such, but understanding the enemy would perhaps help in defeating more of them in the long run.

They had won today, but at the same time the Queen had to wonder about the priorities. The protoss were obviously a true danger with their shielding and coordination, unlike the humans and beasts of prime. Well, the least and lesser beasts at least. The stronger varieties would undoubtedly prove more problematic later on, but she had gazed within the mind of the Patriarch when he permitted it and beheld the glory of the stronger beasts he had in his thoughts, and the potential what could be unlocked from them.

_We just need a few samples, a few assimilated species to start up the gene-sequencing. Once there's enough material for strains to be born, we can truly begin to explore more diverse creations. Perhaps have more than one brood as well. _That would have to wait for now, but she was hopeful. The swarm would grow, and gain in power, and in time, they would hold the entire planet in their grasp.

OOOOOO

Alright, 23rd is down. I hope this chapter provides an entertaining read, I'm going to see about a new chapter for the XCOM fanfiction next. I had both under work here in the meanwhile, but suffered from writer's block and ended up reading through a few other tales briefly.

Nevertheless, here's another chapter. Bit less OOC this time around.


	24. Chapter 24: Swarm and Slaver

Author's Note: I do not own Starcraft or any of the units portrayed within it. Starcraft is the property of Blizzard Entertainment, I only own my original creations. This is a work of fan fiction, existing entirely outside any canon material. This tale was inspired by reading "_The Zerg Swarm_" tale by _East Bridge._

**Chapter 24 – Swarm and Slaver**

"_The Protoss are becoming a problem. They were secondary threat to the very real, and repetitive threat of Ravenrock's adepts and mystics while the Protoss forces stayed back at their swamp, but now that they have chosen to get on the move, they will need to be dealt with soon." _Dain grimaced at the thought of facing a yet another battle so soon. He would have to deal with the slavers first, he had already delayed saving his mother far too long.

Beyond that, he would need to make sure Ravenrock was stopped. Not only did he find himself attacked by them repeatedly, but the things that Gem told about the people's treatment there left a bitter taste in Dain's mouth. He considered his options but there was no way he was going to allow the Ravenrock's lord to continue. So, there was not one target he could leave off his list, he had to fight all three battles soon.

Which meant the primary hive complex would need to grow, soon, and he would also need to build new hatcheries elsewhere to increase the size of his swarm. With sufficient numbers the enemy would fall, and the swarm's power would once again be shown. They could face death fearlessly and in masses, because they bred quickly and fought without a fear of death. Those that survived would heal on their own, without needing costly support to do so.

Yet that strength in numbers and fearlessness would also require the support structure behind it, the necessary hive size to allow the losses to be replenished quickly. The price of bringing new zerg to the swarm was small, but each hatchery only brought forth so many new larva in a day. That was something Dain felt he should see about soon as well.

"_Patriarch, we have arrived." _The overlord's voice brought him back to the present, and gazing along to the distance he could see the castle walls, the stronghold the slavers were using as their headquarters. He knew a fair bit about the place thanks to Lily's efforts, but he was still concerned about the lack of good information about the robed man. The women in the cages had been terrified only managing to share that so far, they had been thrown in the cages to wait for something, while the few men that had been captured had been dragged off, only for them to then walk past the cages looking every bit as brutal and loyal to the cloaked figure as the slavers that captured them.

"Alright, join the siege and distribute our forces as previously discussed. I need to think a moment." Focusing his thoughts on Lily, he decided it was best to begin with the trouble within. _"Lily. We have arrived. Its time to put your abilities to a test, I want you to make your way to the gates and open a way inside for us. Once that is done, your second task will be back in the dungeons, making sure all the captives are safe and cannot be used as hostages by our enemies."_ The abilities that she had should permit her to pull off these tasks but with a foe present who's abilities were not properly understood yet it had its own risks.

"_I will make you proud." _There was something teasing about the way she whispered that in the mental answer, enough to leave Dain feeling somewhat awkward for a brief moment. The amusement he felt from her over the mental contact was brief but genuine as she set out to work. He had no doubts about her being able to pull off the first part, but the second one might be hard, especially once the enemy would begin to answer their attack full on.

"I really need to get the ventral sacs ready so I can just carpet-bomb places to the ground with baneling overflights." He muttered to himself more than anyone else, but gazed at the fortress that stood before them with a cold look in his eyes. These were the people that killed him once before, and tried to take everything away. Now it would be his turn to teach them a lesson, and leave them torn to shreds.

"Get everyone ready. Have the forces ready to move in at a moment's notice. Carry out the orders without fail, and we shall win here today." No matter how many units would charge at an open gate, the enemy could use it as a bottleneck if they could pull all their forces there to protect it after Lily's part was done. Having them forced to protect the walls would keep the enemy scattered enough that they couldn't mount a proper defense even when their positions would be overrun. They would be overwhelmed and Dain had no mercy for these people.

Thinking back at the night of the night of the attack, the original Dain had fought to protect his mother and his little sister. He had failed, felled by a wound that would have claimed a life eventually. If not for the gift he had received his little sister would have likely died somewhere alone after he would have succumbed to his wound and a likely infection. Though the personality from Prime was just one of the whole, the memories of this world came forth as he stood before the fortress, ready to seek his mother's freedom.

The patriarch felt a knot in his chest and a dryness in his throat, a tremor in his body. While he had little to fear the thought of something going wrong when his family was involved did chill him. Still, he did not shout out any demands, he did not try and negotiate. The enemy would fall, and he wouldn't make a deal with these people even for his mother's safe return. He did not trust them to keep their end of the bargain, and more importantly it would make the prisoners into hostages.

"_It wont be long."_

O O O Within the Fortress O O O

Lily took a breath and sighed. There was a guard in the room that kept watching the cages now and then, but mostly stood still unless Lily or one of the women tried to speak. He had gruffly told the girls to stay quiet several times, and once struck at a woman that began sobbing. Lily had hoped to get some answers from the women, but so far she had little success in that, as each guard that stepped forth to interrupt them as soon as someone raised their voice to even a whisper.

It was damp, dark, and depressive. She had at least the comfort of having spotted Dain's mother among those still caged, though sleeping for most part, and looking to be ill. That wasn't the news Dain was hoping for, but it was a relief no doubt that his mother was still alive. The fact the cages looked like they could fit a lot more people worried her though, and the robed figure she had witnessed earlier concerned her as well. Yet the time for doubt was over. It was time to get on the move.

Moving to the cage's side she began to call out at the women in the other cage once more, calling them by the names she'd learned during her short time there, from the brief few words shared before the guards on duty in any given moment got angry. As expected, the guard began approaching her cell, and she narrowed her eyes, but kept at it. From the look on the guard's face, he wasn't going to just tell her to shut up anymore, since she didn't listen.

"I told you to shut up many times already, now you're just asking for a beating." As he neared the cage wall shoving the blunt end of the spear through with force Lily swiftly grasped it and yanked, pulling the guard against the cage wall. He had a death-grip on his spear not letting her steal a weapon. No doubt someone had tried this before too, but the guard was surprised by her inhuman strength. Not wasting time trying to free the spear for herself though she rushed in and thrust her hand forth. With a bloody crunch she felt the rib shatter before her hand as she plunged it through the man's chest, only to have her hand burst through the man's back, leaving a gaping wound behind as she pulled her arm out once more.

The guard barely had time to cough out blood once before falling down on the ground. She didn't bother reaching for the keys, instead moving to her cage door and starting to rend the the door's bars. The lock was creaking as she forced the bars a bit further away from one another, and shortly enough the lock was unable to hold the door. The women in the other cage were staring at her in somewhat of a shock, but given how her left hand was now coated in fresh blood and she had just torn old iron bars with bare hands, she wasn't too surprised about the stares.

"Wait here, I'll return soon with help." She spoke seriously, gazing at the doorway. Well, time for another of her tricks. With a rippling effect like a stone thrown to a pond of water her form became blurred and then faded from view entirely as she walked towards the door, moving to open it and slip past it to the hallways. It was time to ascend from this dungeon, and to let her brethren in. This fortress would fall, and with it would come the end of these slavers and that robed figure.

Slipping past the doorway she had the short hallway before the chamber of the cloaked figure but quickly noticed a second guard coming. Damn it, someone had decided on a guard shift earlier than expected. No matter, she waited quietly till the guard had almost passed her, then grasping onto the man's head from behind and with a sickening crunch the twist of the man's head caused him to drop to the ground lifeless. Two down, a lot more of them to go still.

Sneaking through the robed figure's chamber was unnerving as she tried to stay at the outer edge of the room despite her cloaking ability. She felt threatened and kept her mind clear of thought, focused on her movement. She didn't want to give any signs of her presence to the robed figure just in case there was a way she could be noticed even cloaked by this figure. She felt fear, not of death but of failure. She would not fail her Patriarch, she would rather be called a coward in sneaking past an enemy and striking where she was necessary than risking it all to take down one foe she might not be enough to destroy on her own.

Every step was a new nervous beat from her racing heart, but she kept moving, swift and silent in the dark, hoping her cloak and clear mind would keep the enemy from sensing her presence. Reaching the other door, she slipped past and continued quickly. She could have tried to assume the shape of one of the guards, but she had a feeling it wouldn't work right here. There was something fishy about the whole place, the robed man and the way the folks worked together. They didn't seem to realize the guards had died, so it wasn't a hive-mind at least, but she didn't think the interactions she'd witnessed were normal. The guards seemed to be able to understand one another just looking at one another.

Nevertheless, she hurried on, and used her stealth to dispose of a few more guards further ahead, catching a few sleeping in a side-room with beds laid about. She felt no guilt about slicing a sleeping man's throat or stabbing one in the heart. These folks were the ones that would have taken delight in doing that to some poor villager that they managed to sneak up on if they had the chance. She was merely doing her duty.

Yet at the same time it gave her a thrill that she was serving her Patriarch, she wanted to kill many of the enemies herself, make _him_ proud of her, she wanted him to look at her more. She knew that Scar, the trusted zergling among the Patriarch's forces, had earned his nickname and position through showing both bravery and cleverness surpassing many of his kind. While she wasn't exactly jealous she wanted to achieve the same and rise to the same level with Scar at that. Of course, she already had a name, and that made her proud. The Patriarch had even covered her with his clothing to begin with, but still, she wanted to show him that she would be of great aid to his goals.

Leaving the guards stationed in the underground a bloody mess, dead where they once stood, she proceeded towards the stairs up. It was time to charge to the walls and open the gates. She could already feel the closeness of her _family_, the wrath and vengeance that they were full of outside the walls, the promise of oblivion that they gave the slavers with every new charge. Once they'd break in, it would be game over for the slavers. Dain's thoughts said it all. None of the slavers would be left alive, even if they begged for mercy. No prisoners, no surrender, and Lily agreed with that thought. There was something too inherently _wrong_ with these minds.

O O O Outside the Walls O O O

The swarm was ruthless in its strikes. While the archers fired and tried to kill his forces at each new strike forth their hits were rare and the zerglings that were more than modestly hurt could retreat for a few minutes to rejoin the battle once more in an endless torment to the enemy, their ammunition no doubt already starting to run low. There were a few torn bodies laying besides the walls, shot down by hydralisk spines or coated in acid by the roaches held aloft by the overlords. They had to fly dangerously low to have any chance of hitting anything though, which had meant that he had only had one try at it, but the slow flight along the archer towers had left their tops a surface coated in acid that was even now still burning the stone and wood alike, the archers in those towers already dead. Of course, two of his roaches had died and so had one of his overlords, felled by the stream of arrows the enemy had unleashed on this flying menace.

The gates were badly battered by acid and zergling waves charging to it, the hot oil poured from the gatehouse had killed a few of his zerglings but not enough. Grimly watching the battle, Dain was once again reminded that despite the fact his enemy had talented individuals, the swarm held the advantage of fearlessness, and nigh inexhaustible numbers once properly prepared. This battle was already won.

The shrieks rising in the air from within the fortress and the gates swinging open was just the icing on the cake. The swarm charged in, while further off some zerglings took a running start to leap against the wall and climbed their way up claw by claw, no longer holding back, and forcing the enemy to focus on them too.

The first wave within brought the rolling banelings into the thickest gathering of enemy swordsmen and spearmen, and the devastating explosions and shrieks of pain were a dark, twisted music to his ears. A melody for vengeance. As a former human, he might have felt sickened, but Dain reminded himself of the sight of his former home. Of the fate these slavers brought to so many. They were little more than bandit, murderers and flesh-peddlers. Their lives were worth nothing because they had put a price on so many lives themselves.

"Forward! Crush the enemy and leave none of them alive! Search and Destroy! Search and Destroy!" Dain's command echoed in the hivemind and the battle raged for but a few minutes. The screaming guards fought even when badly wounded or with their weapon taken away. Mystics tried to conjure bolts of pure lightning or cause ground to open up to crush some of his forces in a crevice of earth, but all they could do was thin the numbers a little before the ocean of flesh ran over them and devoured all those that tried to resist.

Once it was done, Dain gave the command to the drones, and marched forth himself. His hydralisks followed him, as Lily decloaked to stand by his side and hugging his arm. He found this a somewhat awkward gesture but allowed it, she had done well after all. The remaining roaches followed while the zerglings began to search the fortress itself, in case one or two of the enemies might be hiding still. Yet Dain had one particular foe in his mind. The robed figure.

O O O Main Chamber O O O

"I've been expecting you." The robed figure spoke with a clear, cold voice. The tone was calm but somehow it sent icy daggers along Dain's spine. Something about this indeed felt so wrong, so vile. The robed figure floated in the air before him and Lily without fear, without even a care about the fact the forces above had all just been slaughtered.

"I sensed another power growing. You have brought some worthy _pets _as well. Far better than the ones I _experimented _on." The figure let out a cold chuckle before those icy eyes showed, shifting to a more crimson glow briefly, the voice changing somewhat, a subtle but noticeable change. "I want it. I want your power, your pets, and I think I'll have you as well."

Dain felt a creepy chill along his spine again, though he would not say that out loud. Instead he stepped forth, and spoke in a firm voice as well. "Your pathetic forces have been annihilated, and now its your turn. I might desire some answers, but I am not interested in a madman's ravings. Its time for you to-"

"KNEEL." The man shouted, and Dain had to struggle not to do so. The voice echoed in his mind, a glow in that man's eyes. Something about them was wrong, Dain felt so horrible confusion setting in. Why was he doing this? Why was he standing up to his betters, when they offered him a place to stand by them. A chance to serve a worthy master. He would be tamed, and so would his family, and they would have a leader from this-

Shaking the feeling off of him like a snake shedding its skin, Dain's mind was once more his own, like a fortress as it was joined by the angry shrieks of his swarm sensing the attempted invasion on his mind. The cloaked figure seemed to shift somewhat as Dain refused to bend down to a knee, moving closer and repeating. "KNEEL."

"Over your cold, dead body to retrieve my spines maybe!" Dain raised his arm, and the spines lining his arm shot forth with force. The feel of it hurt in his entire arm, but the spines struck with a force that a hydralisk would envy, piercing the hooded figure's neck, left arm and striking to the left side of the chest. Gasping and wheezing in the air, the figure seemed to immediately turn around and the robe fell down, empty, the spines landing with a clatter on the floor, their tips red with blood.

"You got him!" Lily shouted cheerfully, but Dain shook his head. "No. I could feel him... leave. Teleport?" He grimaced and looked at Lily. "Secure the fortress, and have the swarm aid in clearing out the corpses. Its time for me to go free my family."

Lily nod her head, about to leave when Dain gently put a hand on her forehead, petting it gently and kissing her cheek. "Good work." He smiled warmly, before letting go and turning to walk away, missing the look of glee on the infiltrator's face. Quickly slapping her cheeks to focus and get to work again, Lily felt a cheer that seemed to spread to the rest of the swarm. They all felt proud of having done a good job.

The throbbing chrysalis outside the grounds began to spread creep around it, as the first drone began its morphing into a hatchery. The black and purple carpet of creep reaching forth to surround the walls of the fortress, as well as to expand over the plains there, the other drone aiding in clearing the site of corpses.

OOOOOO

Alright, a long time since chapter 23, and I feel I could have done better job with chapter 24 but here it is, and hopefully folks aren't too disappointed at least. My creativity seems to be switching back and forth on some other ideas, from **Dungeon Keeper** and **Overlord** to a few select anime series like **Petshop of Horrors** in the recent past. Still, I want to keep going with this story, and there's a lot to tell still.

Faraway-R: The 'magic bombs' are just emotionally laden psychic energy, magic in itself is just misunderstood psychics with a lot of fetishes and rituals to its use to allow the 'primitive humans' to wield it in a way they thought would work. Which works as a sort of crutch. The bomb basically just filled the 'short local area' with so many screaming, intense emotions in psychic energy that it made it hard for the zealots to 'hear' one another as they are used to. As for the shields flickering, that I'd attribute simply to that energy also working pretty much like infantry stepping onto an anti-tank mine that had already become unstable. Overkill, plain and simple. Massive damage burst all at once that knocked off the shields so that the zealots wouldn't all suddenly lose some body parts.

Beyogi: Thanks for reading, always a pleasure to see your thoughts on matters. Dain's got a lot of enemies but he's starting to improve as he does see the need for it. Things are kicking into motion. Hoping folks will enjoy the tale as it goes on.

On that note, I've been notified that a few people would want to do some minor cross-over event. I am open to the possibility, but I am not going to want anyone else walking Prime's surface, so these crossovers would likely be akin to some 'Dream' sequences. Leaving it up to the readers to decide if they actually happened or if they are just a random bit in the midst of things.


End file.
